The Daily CHEW™
Chew on God’s Love. Live Transformed. Multiply Hope.
I remember the first time I was truly challenged to slow down and “CHEW” on God’s love, not just fly past it as a doctrine. I was driven, measured my progress by what I accomplished, and often saw God as that stern coach in the sky—always ready with critique, rarely with a hug. I wanted change, but the process of settling into God’s love poked at parts of me I’d kept hidden: old wounds, misbeliefs, even doubts about whether love—not more discipline—would really lead to genuine transformation.
As I began walking with the CHEW framework—Confess, Hear, Exchange, Walk—uncomfortable things surfaced. This is normal. If you’ve just started the Seven Day Challenge, or even if you’ve been “chewing” for a while, you know that sinking in God’s love isn’t always smooth. Here’s what tends to come up—and how grace meets us there.
1. God as Disciplinarian: “What if He’s just waiting to catch me messing up?”
So many Christians quietly live with an image of God as distant, critical, or perpetually disappointed. When we CHEW and focus on His love, it can feel hard to trust that He won’t “zap” us if we don’t get it right. Instead of comfort, focusing on God’s love stirs up anxiety or attempts to earn approval all over again.
What helps:
Start honestly. In your CHEW, Confess the image of God you’re carrying: “Father, I realize I’m afraid of Your disappointment—that Your love for me just means higher standards.” Invite the Spirit to bring a particular Scripture to Hear: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18). Return here as often as you need, asking Him to break the old scripts with the truth.
2. Old Offenses: “What about when I have something against God?”
Sometimes, starting to CHEW on God’s love brings up hurt or even anger at things God allowed. Suffering, loss, or prayers that seemed unanswered can lodge quietly in our hearts, making His love feel suspect. You’re not alone if, when you sit with the CHEW process, old unanswered “Whys” or hidden offenses bubble up.
What helps:
Bring these to God with raw honesty. It may be time to take intentional steps toward addressing these deeper wounds—there’s wise guidance in this blog about holding something against God. CHEW isn’t about pretending the pain isn’t there. Confess the offense, and in time Hear how God’s patient love and Jesus’s wounds speak even to the places of greatest ache.
3. Doubt That Love Changes Anything: “Does focusing on God’s love really work?”
It can feel abstract—almost naive—to believe that rooting yourself in God’s love will actually heal, clarify, or “fix” what’s missing. For performers and skeptics alike, this doubts quietly stalks every return to the CHEW process.
What helps:
Name the doubt. “Lord, I’m unsure this matters. Give me one small glimpse, even a micro-shift.” The radical, practical ways God’s love fuels sustainable discipline and real change are surprisingly tangible—see more in this story about how God’s love creates sustainable growth. Often what changes first is not our behavior, but our motivation—more security, less self-condemnation, more energy to try again.
4. Feeling Little or Nothing: “I do the Seven Day Challenge, but not much is happening.”
You read, you write, you even “do” a daily CHEW—but it feels dry, mechanical, or emotionally flat. Maybe you’ve tried the Seven Day Challenge and wonder if something’s broken inside you, or if you’re “doing it wrong.”
What helps:
Keep showing up. Sometimes the heart thaws slowly, and the habits re-shape us before the emotions follow. The walk of faith is often small steps in the same direction, trusting that feeling follows form. Invite God to show you small ways His love is present even if your emotions haven’t caught up yet. Celebrate each honest return, no matter how “flat” it feels.
5. Can’t Imagine What Would Change: “If I really believed He loves me as much as He loves Jesus, what would shift?”
When the mind hears, “God loves you as much as He loves His own Son”—it might freeze. Years of wounds, disappointment, or performance may block us from even imagining what this might mean in everyday life.
What helps:
Reflect on times or relationships where you felt most seen, safe, or loved. What changed for you in those seasons? Now, imagine the Source of that love being even more secure, endless, and unconditional. If you believed God saw you and delighted in you like Jesus, how might you relate differently to your failures, successes, or other people? Use your CHEW to gently “Exchange”—name one thing you’d risk, try, or let go if that love were true.
6. Comparing Progress: “Everyone else seems to ‘get it’ faster.”
Community can be both gift and stumbling block; as you practice CHEW with others or read stories, it’s easy to envy another’s tears, victories, or insights. You may worry that you’re “behind.”
What helps:
CHEW is not a race. Return to God’s patient, personal love for you. Share your struggle with a trusted friend or triad—often someone else is feeling the same. God is just as present in slow growth, small steps, or honest confessions as He is in obvious “breakthroughs.”
7. Not Knowing What to CHEW On: “How do I even know what I need from God’s love today?”
Some come to CHEW and feel blank: “I don’t know where to start.” Others might get overwhelmed by all the options or questions.
What helps:
Ask God quietly in prayer, “What is the ache beneath the ache? Which of the SALVES longings feels stirred right now—security, acceptance, love, value, enjoyment, or significance?” Even naming this before Him is a first step of honesty. Trust that He honors our simple presence as much as our eloquent prayers.
Head-to-Heart Turning Point
The deeper invitation of CHEW is not to master a ritual, but to return—again and again—to a God whose love is big enough for all our misbeliefs, hurts, doubts, and slow progress. Sometimes there’s a glimmer of hope, a fresh breath, or just one less weight on your shoulders. That counts.
CHEW On This™
Where does practicing CHEW stir up old fears, doubts, or blank spots for you? Ask: “If I brought even these places into God’s love, slowly and honestly, what might start to heal or open?”
Community Invitation
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Ready for more?
Learn how to make CHEWing a daily rhythm in CHEW Groups and beyond at https://1stprinciplegroup.com/chew-on-this/
Chew on God’s Love. Live Transformed. Multiply Hope.
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