Ephesians 2:8
Do you ever hear friends, family or even yourself ask the question, "What have you been doing?"
If you're anything like me, you find that to be a very stressful question. I feel guilty to say, 'nothing'. I feel weak to say 'I've just been trying to survive".
Our society places a lot of pressure on us to do. Holidays need to be planned. Weekends need to be busy. Events need to be organized, goals met & promotions achieved. As a chronic pain sufferer, it can be debilitating & frustrating to not be able to 'do'. Sometimes, trying to 'do' is the very thing that breaks us down & pushes us into yet another pain spiral.
If you're struggling with something like this, dear friends, take heart. I urge you & encourage you not to let this thought pattern slip into your relationship with God. Remember we are not saved by works but by faith alone. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).
There is definitely a lot in the Bible about how we should live our lives, that much is true. But our faith, our maturity in Christ and God's love for us is not measured by us & what we can do. It's measured by how much we fall short of God but yet, are loved & saved completely only because of Jesus.
The world may want you to do & do & do. But more importantly, God wants you to be... To be his daughter / son, to be a sinner in need of a forgiving, loving & just God & to be whatever he has called you to be in your current circumstances.
If I stop to think about the people who have been most influential in my faith, to those who've challenged & inspired me most, they are usually completely unaware of their depth of the effect of their ministry to me & after years of faith, they definitely still see themselves just as they were when God first found them - sinners desperate for relationship with our loving, just & merciful God.
Friends, if today is a really tough day for you, just 'be'. Leave the 'doing' up to God. He's much better at it anyway.
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