The TENTH: Author’s Preface

Author’s Preface to The TENTH Devotional Journal

By Shenica R. Graham

Greetings! Welcome to the TENTH devotional journal. Years, before writing this book, I would sleep most of the day. No, I was not lazy. I was traumatized and developed a mental health disorder. The result was a gap in my self-management skills, including not knowing how to start a conversation or keep a daily agenda. In 2019, GOD delivered me from a hospital stay that lasted 22 days. When I went in, I did not think I was coming out. I thought I would die there. Flash forward to 2020…

I was in recovery and found a job. With a new charge of ability, I found myself always busy. I thought if I was not doing something, I was wasting precious time. However, soon, I was too busy for my family, too busy for my church, and too busy for GOD. The problem is that what I was spending most of my time on, were things that did not feed my spirit.

Today, I am still busy. But I am not busy for the sake of busyness. Everything I do is loaded with purpose. I watch my time. Not the clock on the wall, but the way I am stewarding my life force. The good thing is, self-management skills, including time management, are transferrable. It’s a pattern. And it’s teachable.

As you read each lesson going forward, identify areas where you lack anything in your TENTH relationship with God and can work toward healing those voids day by day. Use the Apply Within activities to help you. Remember to journal your progress daily. If you find it helpful, share this book with a friend.