I hear the stress, anxiety, and fear rise up in conversations with people whom I love. I see it in the eyes of mothers of small children, leaders of organizations, regular church goers, and your average Joe or Joann…I see their self perception and belief that they are not good enough.” People walk around daily with the suppressed guilt of failure, not being able to keep it all together, while grudgingly facing the uncertainty of their future. They have bought into the lie of “everything depends on me, and if I don’t do it, it’s not going to get done.” That belief is followed by excuses, busyness, production, and eventually burnout.
Many people enter their adult lives believing, “I don’t measure up.” This lie is a subtle snake that slithers into a house at night through the crack in the kitchen door that no one paid attention to. This is not a lie that only captivates lost unbelievers; it is a lie that also devastates the lives of far too many Christians.
For centuries we have been telling ourselves, “Pray as though everything depended on God and act as if everything depended on you.” It is the same spirit that prompts the purchase and proud display of bumper stickers like, “Jesus is my co-pilot.” Really? If he is, there in lies the source of major problems. He leads, I follow, and anything apart from that will certainly lead to disaster.
Removing God from his supreme position of Lord in our lives gives us a false sense of self sufficiency. It breaks my heart when I have conversations with a worn out mom, over worked professional or frazzled female. I listen intently and then I ask tough questions about the spiritual disciples of their life: How is your quiet time? How much time are you spending in the Word? How is your prayer life? Unfortunately, the summary of those responses is, “I don’t have time.”
There is truth to the old saying, “When you see a worn out Bible, it is probably owned by someone who is not.” We must surrender to God the father through prayer, seek his guidance and counsel through his Word, and agree with the work of the Holy Spirit within us. (We must know what that work entails. Otherwise, how can we benefit from it?) God is in charge of everything and he longs to give us the strength that we need to make it through our daily living, if we trust him.
Additionally, Jesus said “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly (John 10:10b KJV).” God wants us to lead a full life. In this world, we will have trouble. We will suffer in a manner that brings glory to God. As we pick up our crosses daily to follow him, we may be persecuted. None of these trials, we place on ourselves, however; these are all divinely orchestrated experiences to transform us into the image of Jesus Christ.
Therefore, we hurt ourselves when we take on unnecessary burdens by believing lies of the enemy. The truth is, what I do may never be good enough and I have to remain peaceful, knowing that what I do does not define who I am. Who am I? A child of the King who “has made everything beautiful in its time (Eccl 3:11 NIV).” I can wait on the perfect time of God’s revealing.
Waiting on God relieves the pressure to perform or measure up. Waiting on God prevents me from being worn out. Waiting reminds me that he is God and I am not. Waiting increases my faith and dependence on him. Waiting is a gift of God’s love. Waiting gives me peace.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard you hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Phil 4: 6-7 NIV).”
What prevents you from waiting? In what areas are you challenged to release the false sense of control and depend on God?
© Natasha S. Robinson 2012
This is so CONVICTING…love it! Thanks.
“Pray as though everything depended on God and act as if everything depended on you.”
Oh, how many times have I decided this was my WAY!!! I know it is a lie that I have to be, do, have, want, create, manage everything – but that lie is so all-encompassing at work, at home, in the media, even around you in the people at the grocery store. It can be so difficult to step back and wait…
Though there is the relief…the knowing and the avoidance of burnout. This year I’ve MADE the time to spend with God before I do anything else. Even the 10 minutes I take has done wonders, so I know once I build up, it will be even more of a sweet release from the lie of the world.
Amazing what 10 minutes can do when invested properly! Amen!
This is so true. Even in terms of just dealing with sin and accomplishing goals. Like now, Im supposed to be outside running but instead I decided to look at your blog. Then if I wait too long and miss out on a workout I beat myself up and feel failure as I look in the mirror and see no change in my body or weight loss. This is when Im depending on myself to get this weight off instead of praying and seeking God to be my motivator. I desire to be a good temple of the Holy Spirit and flee the sin of laziness and gluttony. that is why I exercise, that is why I eat right, but ultimately I end up doing for myself and end with no long term success. Discipline is hard, you def need God in order to push through. Great blog, definitely convicting. I have a lot more thoughts on this but I will stop now before I end up typing a book.