The Daily CHEW™
Moving God’s Love from Head to Heart for Christian Professionals
A client sat across from me, frustrated with her CHEW practice. “I start the Exchange question,” she said, “and my first answer is always shallow. Like, ‘If I really believed God loved me, I wouldn’t feel anxious.’ Then I stop because I don’t know what else to say.” She was experiencing what many discover: the first layer of CHEW often skims the surface, but the transformation happens when you dig deeper. When I asked her, “What would be different about your life if you weren’t anxious?” everything changed. Details poured out. Tears came. The real heart work began.
Why Surface-Level CHEWing Keeps You Stuck
The breakthrough insight is this: your first CHEW answer is rarely your deepest need—it’s usually the entry point to what really needs God’s love. When we stay at surface level (“I wouldn’t be anxious”), we miss the specific, tender areas where God’s love wants to do real healing work. But when we ask follow-up questions like “What would that mean for me specifically?” or “How would that change my relationships, my parenting, my work?” we uncover the places where anxiety actually steals life from us.
Research shows that emotional processing requires specificity to create lasting change. Vague insights produce vague transformation, but detailed reflection about how God’s love would reshape specific areas leads to breakthrough. Jesus didn’t just say “Don’t worry”—He addressed the specific fears His listeners carried about food, clothing, and tomorrow (Matthew 6:25-34).
Think of CHEW like washing—we need to come to our Father to be thoroughly cleaned. We’re like two-year-olds who played in the mud: we won’t do a good job cleaning ourselves, but our Father will. The deeper we come to Him for washing, the more freedom we experience.
This Is Where CHEWing Moves the Heart…
Here’s how one client learned to drill down through multiple CHEW layers:
Confess (C) to God
“Father, here’s what I’m honestly feeling right now: I’m anxious about everything, and my surface answers feel empty when I CHEW.”
Hear (H) from God in Scripture
“Father, what Scripture do You want me to wrestle with right now?”
“Perfect love casts out fear.” (1 John 4:18)
Exchange (E) with God—Layer 1
“If I really believed God loves me as much as He loves Jesus, how would that change my anxiety?”
First answer: “I wouldn’t feel anxious.”
Exchange (E) with God—Layer 2
“What would be different about my life (and then break it down into the different parts of life. For example, what would be different about my relationship with God? Relationship with spouse? Relationship with each kid? Relationship with particular family members? and then broaden it to what would be different about me physically? Emotionally? Intellectually? Socially? Vocationally? Financially? Environmentally? etc.) if I wasn’t anxious?”
The start of a deeper answer: “I could actually be present with the kids instead of being distracted by worry. I wouldn’t snap at them when they interrupt my anxious thoughts.”
Exchange (E) with God—Layer 3
“If I really believed God’s love is perfect and casts out fear, how would that change how I spend time with my children today?”
Heart-level answer: “I would sit on the floor and play with them without checking my phone. I would look in their eyes when they talk to me. I wouldn’t waste precious moments being mentally absent.”
Walk (W) with the Holy Spirit
“Holy Spirit, please guide me to the next step I should take that will please You.”
“Here’s the next step I believe pleases You: Today, when anxiety starts to rise, I’ll pause and ask what it’s stealing from my relationships, then choose one specific way to be present instead.”
“Holy Spirit, if there’s a better step, shift me!”
Worship: Trust God to Wash You Deeper Than You Can Reach
God’s love isn’t just big enough for your surface struggles—it’s powerful enough to reach the tender, hidden places where anxiety, fear, and shame actually do their damage. When you drill down through multiple CHEW layers, you’re not working harder—you’re coming to the Father for deeper washing, like a child who needs a loving parent to clean mud from places they can’t reach. Trust Him with the details that matter most.
CHEW On This™
If I really believed God’s love reaches deeper than my surface struggles and wants to heal the specific ways fear steals life from my relationships, how would that change my willingness to drill down past my first CHEW answer and come to Him for washing in the tender places I usually protect?
Don’t stop at your first answer today. Ask “What would that mean for me specifically?” and come to God for deeper washing than you’ve received before.
Community: Practice deeper CHEWing with others who understand that transformation happens below the surface here.
Want More?
The Daily CHEW™ | Make CHEWing a daily rhythm
Select Resources:
- CHEWing on the Move: How Micro-Breaks Transform Your Workday
- How to CHEW When Life Gets Too Heavy
- Raw Prayer: When Faith Gets Honest and God Gets Real
With you on the journey,
Ryan
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