Shake the Pressure Off!
Just in case no one told you today: you are NOT a mess, you are a work in progress.
Oh, how we love to hate our weaknesses, but this is the very stuff God shines brightest through! So how about we shake the pressure off? (Because, when has being so hard on yourself worked anyways?)
“After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace [who imparts His blessing and favor], who called you to His own eternal glory in Christ, will Himself COMPLETE, CONFIRM, STRENGTHEN, and ESTABLISH YOU [making you what you ought to be].”
- 1 Peter 5:10 AMP
God is bringing you through His transformation process - and since the power at work in you is His power, then the pressure belongs to Him as well.
The Lord doesn’t want us to do things in His name... without His help. He has not called us to run around like chickens without a head and then stamp a “for His glory” on our to-do list when we’re through. The work God gets glory from is the work He is at the center of from start to finish. And friend, He wants to be at the center of every responsibility you’re trying to juggle.
Every hour of your job.
Every errand you run.
Every habit you form.
Every conversation you have.
Every step of your journey
God is there with you and He is ready to help you manage your life, so you never again feel like your life is managing you.
“…but He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough—always available—regardless of the situation]; for [My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness.’ Therefore, I will all the more gladly boast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ [may completely enfold me and] may dwell in me.”
-2 Corinthians 12:9 AMP
The truth is, the only way to truly juggle these responsibilities is by surrendering them. If we’re going to depend on God, then let’s depend on Him ALL THE WAY! Ask Him for the grace and strength and wisdom and energy and direction and patience and forgiveness and compassion you need, the very moment you need it, every day.
Here’s another way of looking at it that really helped me:
The battle (challenge) is not mine, it’s the Lords.
If the battle (challenge) is His, then the pressure is too.
If the battle (challenge) is His and the pressure is His, then the outcome is also in His hands.
And, if the battle (challenge), the pressure, and the outcome all belong to God, then overthinking and striving in my own strength is a colossal waste of time. I’d be better off (and way more at ease!) just taking a deep breath and telling my Father in Heaven that I trust Him.
Can I get an amen?
“Trust in and rely confidently on the LORD with all your heart and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him, and He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way].”
- Proverbs 3:5-6 AMP
Life is hard sometimes, but I’m learning not to make it tougher than it needs to be. Trust God to do His part. And you, my dear friend, RELAX, and do yours! Everything outside of “your part” is out of your hands... but never, NOT EVER, outside of God’s. He’s got this!
Love you,
-Kelly
