NEST
Step 8 of the 12-Step Christ Intentional Living Plan
What is a nest?
A nest is a structure or place made or chosen by a bird for laying eggs and sheltering its young.
The more time you spend with God and Christ, the more you want to be with them. However, distractions can divert your attention and reduce your time with God and Christ. The best way to overcome distraction is to build a space in your home to shelter your relationship. If you make a spot in your house just for God, Christ and you and then fill it with things you love, you will always be in the mood for God and Christ—even if for a few minutes.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. — Jesus Christ, Savior of the World, Matthew 6:21
@thegodco (image credit: thebritishblanketcompany.com)
Build your Christ Nest
Your nest is part of your authentic self.
It is a well-researched fact that we like our comfort. Therefore, your Christ Nest will help your relationship with God and Christ blossom. So, start nesting today by finding the perfect spot in your home to meet with God and Jesus daily. Your Christ Nest can be a corner in the bedroom, a nook in the corridor or even an armchair in the living room. Once you've picked the perfect spot, fill it with lamps, plants and anything else you like.
Your Christ Nest is your safe haven, your own bubble. Whenever you conjure it up, it should relax your body and soothe your mind and spirit
Ring-fence your love for God and Jesus.
Protect what you’ve built.
When birds choose their nests, they look for a place that is tight and hard to spot to protect themselves and their eggs better (varmentguard.com). Most of us not only live with people but also with animals. So, finding a place in our homes that is hard to spot by its other inhabitants is impossible. When building your Christ Nest, focus more on comfort rather than location. You can have the perfect spot for your Christ Nest, but you've missed the point if it doesn’t make you want to spend time there with God and Christ. Ask yourself this question when decorating your Christ Nest:
What will make me want to spend more time with God and Christ in this corner of my home?
Your answer should determine what goes in your nest. You can choose not to decorate your Christ Nest and leave it plain. However, we humans like our comfort and spend more time in places that put us at ease.
The Art of Christ-nesting
Christ Nest? Christ-nesting?
There’s Christ Nest when you make a corner in your home just for you, Christ and God. And then there’s Christ-nesting, when you build your entire life around a center (God and Christ) and then fit everything around that center to attract provision, protection and prosperity from God through Christ. When God’s and Christ’s energies enter your home and lifestyle, they block all other energies from coming through.
The Basic Principles of Christ-nesting
Abbreviated G.L.O.W
GET RID OF. Remove everything from your home that does not align with God’s and Christ’s energies and replace them with things that do. For example: if you have movies or books that depict extreme violence or murder in your home, replace them with Christ-friendly movies or books. Although they don’t mention God or Christ, Jane Austen’s books are Christ-friendly as they are wholesome. The same can be said about Hallmark and Lifetime movies. Even though most don’t mention God or Christ, they are God-friendly movies as they are PG-rated.
LISTEN. Play more music that glorifies and praises God and Christ. It doesn’t mean you stop listening to your favorite music. It simply means incorporating more of God’s and Christ’s energies into your home and lifestyle.
OUTLINE. You do this in five steps. Firstly, get a physical notebook and a pen. Secondly, look inside your heart, mind and soul and outline the bad habits you want to remove and the good habits you want to keep. Secondly, look at your home. Go from room to room and outline the things that make you glow and feel good about yourself, your life and your circumstances. Thirdly, outline the things that dim your glow and make you feel bad about yourself, your life and your circumstances. Fourthly, keep the things that make you glow and donate those that dim your glow to charity or goodwill. Lastly, when you shop, buy only things that make you, your house and your lifestyle glow.
WRITE. Get a journal or a notebook and write down what you are grateful for to God through Christ.
