Welcome to Learning to Linger bible study through the book of Colossians. I named this Bible study learning to linger because that is exactly what we are going to do. We are going to practice lingering and dwelling on God's word and learn how to invite our God designed body along for the journey.

What does it mean to linger? When we linger, we choose to pause and chew on what we are reading. If you think about the body's ability to digest and absorb nutrients from food, the process often starts with chewing and mindfully eating. Chewing breaks down the food. Then as it is swallowed, the body begins to digest it and use its nutrients.

When we eat in a rush, we often end up missing out on optimal digestion. And sometimes even end up with a stomach ache. In the same way when we approach studying the Bible, we miss out on so much When we rush through it or treat it like a check mark, choosing to pause, slow down and linger on what we have read gives God time to begin working on our hearts and his word, and his spirit to take root and begin cultivating fruit in our lives.

Learning to linger also means we learn to reign in our impulse to rush and plunge into our to-do lists. Or spin into negative thinking. 

We are busy and distracted people and many of us live in survival mode leading us to rushing our days. When we break free from this and choose to carve out time to be still and linger before the Lord, we create space for transformation. This often allows us to think deeper on certain concepts, and expand our capacity to apply what we are reading. When it comes to lingering or dwelling, our bodies often need to feel a sense of safety.

The psalmist in Psalm 23 described a certain sense of safety in dwelling he had in the Lord. He writes, even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for, you are with me, your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 

Learning to linger and dwell is not pretending to have an absence of trouble, it is learning how to have a safe and secure and confident heart posture towards God, despite what is happening around us. Often times when we approach Bible study with just our minds, but leave our bodies in a state of rush and worry, this causes us to become distracted when we are trying to read the Bible.

But while running on stress hormones, it often impacts our ability to think clearly and slow down and think on what we read. This often leaves many of us feeling distracted and discouraged, which then results in a closed Bible.

Seeking safety in his presence and learning to linger and dwell on his word and invite our bodies along for the journey creates a container of safety within our God designed body that no one can destroy or take away from us. I am so excited for you to begin your journey!