Are you longing for a sacred soul shift? This week we are featuring Natalia Drumm’s WORD30 testimonial on the blog. We just love how God challenged and equipped Natalia to stop consuming and start creating. This year at Living by Design Ministries, we are committed to helping you clear the clutter and make more room for Jesus. In order to facilitate this sacred soul shift, we’ve created a free WORD30 Challenge Kit. You’ll find all the details about the kit at the end of this article.
A Guest Post by Natalia Drumm
The air conditioning blasts over-top my head as I walk into the building.
Starbucks sits to my left and the beautiful red row of carts by the Dollar Spot mark my location.
Can you guess where I stand?
Target.
Glorious, gluttonous Target.
For years my life was marked by the schedule of the preschool pick up line.
While I adored the three hours of child-free time, the long drive from my house to the preschool didn’t leave much time for more than a gym class and a few errands before I was heading back to pick up a tiny human.
So many days, I “killed time” in a Target store.
With a cup of liquid caffeine in my hand, I would walk up and down the aisles of Target.
Now don’t get me wrong—those were sweet years of grace that my mama soul desperately needed.
With three tiny boys, all making their arrival into my world in under five years, I spent my fair share of life under a sea of diapers, Goldfish and toddler tantrums.
So the peaceful consumption of Starbucks sans kids was something I relished.
Are you in need of a soul-shift? Join the Living by Design Community for this 30-day challenge.
My Need for A Sacred Soul Shift
The preschool years ended, and I now find myself with all my children in elementary school.
The three hours has stretched to seven hours of childless time. It’s amazing.
Glorious actually.
The quiet though has unraveled my soul—in the best of ways.
All those days I spent “killing time” in Target slowly turned my soul from creative to consumer.
Somewhere between the shoe aisle and the book aisle, I lost my ability to manage time.
What was “15 minutes to look” in the store before I drove across town then lead to 30 minutes of a show before I cleaned the house, then let’s just grab a few things we don’t need, but want.
I even saw a shift in my soul in regards to church—wanting to come in and consume rather than come in and contribute.
My soul needed shifting.
So this WORD30 Challenge was right up my alley.
Or should I say aisle?
Thirty days of saying no to consumption and yes to creativity.
Thirty days of spending nothing aside from the necessities.
Thirty days of contributing instead of consuming.
As my soul shifted, God taught me several important truths.
Join me for thirty days of saying no to consumption and yes to creativity, of contributing instead of consuming.
A Sacred Soul Shift: We Were Created to Crave
This is normal, natural, and God designed.
God designed my soul to crave.
But He allows me the freedom to choose what I fill my soul with.
I need not be concerned about realizing my soul is craving, I simply need to fill it with His Word instead of the things of this world.
- Saying no to a television show and yes to opening my Bible.
- Turning away from caffeine and turning in to bed early to allow my body to rest.
- Building community rather than allowing comparison to draw my heart into isolation.
The cravings in my soul are meant to be met, but I must meet my soul needs with Jesus.
A Sacred Soul Shift: More Often Results in Less
The more I consume, the less satisfied I become.
Like an addiction to be fed, the more I shop the less happy I am with what I have in my closet.
- The more I eat out the less I desire healthy food.
- The more caffeine I consume the less rest I rely on.
- The more I consume the less creative my soul becomes.
Every need I seek to fill with anything other than Jesus leaves me wanting more and feeling less.
Cravings cannot be satisfied with things. They simply breed more cravings and deeper addictions.
Every need I seek to fill with anything other than Jesus leaves me wanting more and feeling less.
A Sacred Soul Shift: Change is Always Possible
There is some truth to the saying, “Man is master of his own destiny.”
But this is true because God gives us the power and will to control our actions.
I can very much change my heart from consumption to creativity as long as I change my behaviors.
My spirit will align itself with whatever I focus my mind and heart on.
The more time I spend consuming, the more I become a consumer.
The more time I spend creating, the more I become a creative.
What I do, I become.
But I have to do what it is I want to become in order to remap my mind and heart in a new direction.
A Sacred Soul Shift: What We Focus On Matters
When I stopped looking at things in my life to be used and consumed, I was able to look around and see how much I already had available at my disposal.
My closet felt larger because I took notice of things I hadn’t paid attention to before.
My schedule opened up pockets of time to use for writing and creating because I wasn’t held to “wasting” time on things I didn’t need or that didn’t nourish my spirit.
What I had in front of me became more than enough instead of not enough.
My focus changed from needing more to having plenty.
This is why Jesus’ words matter so much to us today, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt. 6:21)
What I had in front of me became more than enough instead of not enough. My focus changed from needing more to having plenty.Habits die hard, but they die.
Jesus was the ultimate example in rewriting hearts.
He took our sinful hearts and washed them clean.
He rewrote His Word of salvation upon us and forever changed us.
But it starts with us—making decisions to allow Him to work.
Opening space in our lives for Him to fill.
Seeking after His will and not our own.
How Will the WORD30 Challenge Change You?
I don’t know what 30 days can change in your life.
Maybe it’s eating habits.
Sleeping habits.
Prayer habits.
Or speech habits.
I don’t know if your time needs to shift from consumerism to creativity and collaboration as mine did.
Whatever your life needs, hear me, sweet one:
God wants to move your heart away from this world and onto Him.
He is faithful to do His part, if we’ll do our part.
God wants to move your heart away from this world and onto Him.
What is the WORD30 Challenge?
It is a 30-day “spiritual cleanse” where participants are inspired and equipped to exchange 2-3 worldly habits for 2-3 godly habits. Our free 20-page challenge kit is packed with resources to help you decide what you’ll give up what you’ll replace it with.
Here are a few examples:
- Replace Netflix at night with listening to Christian podcasts or sermons.
- Replace listening to the radio on your commute with Scripture memorization and prayer.
- Replace consumption with creation and hospitality.
- Replace watching sports on weekends with spending time in nature.
- Replace mindless scrolling on social media with reading God’s Word.
For some participants, success might mean achieving a 30/30 score on the challenge. For others, you may set your goal at 5-days a week, while giving yourself a bit more room and latitude on the weekend. Whichever measure of success you choose, be specific and make sure it is measurable and achievable in your current season of life.
We look forward to supporting you with tips, tools, and testimonials throughout the next thirty days.
– Natalia Drumm
Natalia Drumm is a writer, speaker, and teacher with a heart for women’s ministry. She leads small groups in her local church and began Girlfriends in the Word, a community of women seeking to build strong relationships with God and others through time in Scripture. She loves spending her time with her three boys and husband and can’t turn down a cold Coke and a chocolate chip cookie. Connect with Natalia on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.
