Do you ever get tired of constantly striving? Of constantly trying to prove yourself to others? Of constantly feeling inadequate? Do you ever feel like no matter how much you do, it will never be enough- like you will never be enough?
Hey, don’t worry, I’ve been there. In fact, I’m there all the time. It may seem like an endless cycle, but there’s good news. It doesn’t have to be. God never intended for us to feel like that, and this isn’t His plan for our lives.
As I go through these particularly challenging seasons, I try to remind myself of biblical truths. These specific ones helped me tremendously, and I hope they’ll do the same for you.
We never have to prove ourselves to God (Ephesians 2:8-9)
No matter how hard we try, no matter how many things we do, and no matter how much of a good person we are, we will never receive God’s approval apart from Christ. The only reason we’re worthy is because Jesus sacrificed His life to make us so. Since we did nothing to earn God’s acceptance, we can do nothing to lose it. We can rest in understanding that we’re fully known and loved by our Creator.
We don’t have to please everyone (Galatians 1:10)
I struggle with this on a daily basis. When we only worry about what other people think, we give them control over us. We no longer do the right thing; we do the popular thing. People-pleasing puts us in chains, ensnares us, and takes away our joy. Jesus did everything perfectly and still received tremendous opposition. We’re commanded to be lights in this world, but we can’t do that if we’re attempting to please the people who live in darkness.
We’re not called to perfection, we’re called to obedience (Luke 11:28)
Shew, this is a big one that should take a tremendous burden off our shoulders. It’s extremely easy to get overwhelmed by all the commands in the Bible, and it’s incredibly disheartening to repeatedly fail to obey them. However, we must remember that God never commanded us to be perfect, and He certainly doesn’t expect it. He graciously forgives us when we fall short of obeying His commandments and persists in transforming us into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Our to-do lists aren’t the priority, being loving is (Mark 12:31)
Man, this one convicts me every time. In the midst of continuously trying to prove myself worthy, I tend to lose sight of what truly matters: obeying God’s Word. It often feels like I’m stuck in a perpetual state of stress. I quickly become short-tempered, impolite, inconsiderate, selfish, disrespectful, and so much more. As Corrie Ten Boom once said, “If the devil can’t make you sin, he’ll make you busy.”
Here’s the thing though, God never commanded us to check everything off our to-do lists. He did, however, command us to love our neighbors. We can’t be loving if our focus is only on ourselves and our tasks. When we’re overloaded with activity, we end up being blinded by selfishness and unable to see the needs of those around us.
Hard Truth (1 Timothy 6:6-7)
You’ve probably come to this conclusion numerous times, but even if you earn affirmation from those specific people, even if you receive straight As in your toughest subjects, even if you hit all your fitness goals, and even if you finally fall in love, you will still not be satisfied. You will ALWAYS want more.
Christ is the only one who can fill the insatiable desire in each of us. God created humans to have needs that can solely be met by Him. Trying to fill the void in our lives with accomplishments or people leads to more brokenness.
Rest in God’s grace and wholeheartedly surrender yourself to Him. Then and only then will you find true freedom.