we exhaust ourselves of all energy and joy to fulfil someone else's expectations for us. and we worry ourselves into a lather when we fall short (which we almost always do).
what are we trying to prove?
here is what i have struggled with this week alone:
i'm not a good enough mother...i am raising my kids wrong...i am too strict...i am too lenient...
i'm not a good enough wife...i am not as attractive as my husband would like...i don't speak his love language often enough...
i'm not a good enough housekeeper...i don't do dishes or laundry the right way...i don't have a dust free or clutter free house
i'm not a good enough Christian...i screw up nearly every day in one area or another...i don't read my bible or pray as often as i should
what am i trying to prove?
1 Samuel 16:7
..."The LORD does not look at the things people look at.
People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
in my heart i want to be an amazing mother...raising my children to be free in Christ and to be healthy in every aspect of their lives...but my flesh is impatient.
in my heart i want to be an amazing wife...so that my husband is not even tempted to look elsewhere because all his needs are fulfilled right here...but my flesh is selfish
in my heart i want to be an amazing housekeeper...i want to have the kind of home that people enjoy coming to...and that people admire...but my flesh is lazy.
in my heart i want to be an amazing Christian...i want God to say 'i love her so much it hurts'...
...my flesh doesn't matter. God still says 'i love her so much it hurts'. and He doesn't require proof of our worth. His love is proof enough
Romans 8:38-39
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
may you realize God's love for you and stop trying to prove your worth.
Amen on this! When I started reading this and saw your first line with how we exhaust ourselves of our energy/joy, I thought "this is going to be speaking to me" and sure enough it did. I can relate so much to what you said, but I am going to remember your key point of realizing how much God loves me and stop try to prove my woth, because frankly, like you said, it is exhausting and I am very tired. Very well written with great thoughts!
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Great post...I agree completely...
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