From our earliest days we are taught by our parents, coaches, friends, and others that “you can do this.” I don’t know how many times I heard, especially when it came to sports, “Don’t quit. Don’t give up. You can do this.” Granted, there is something to be said for perseverance and not giving up. I often heard the statement, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” My competitive streak wouldn’t allow me to quit. Whether it was something I can do for myself or something that the team could do, quitting was never an option. It was drilled into me “The game is not over until the last out.” “You don’t quit until the buzzer sounds.” And, to be honest, those served me well…in sports.
But that “I can do” philosophy also transferred over to my Christian faith. For years I lived with this albatross hanging around my neck of perform, perform, perform. “Never quit.” “Never give up.” “You can do this.” After all, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” (Phil. 4:13) But even something good can be taken too far. So like many before me and (there will be) many after me, I hitched up my pants, tightened my belt, pulled up my bootstraps, and labored on in my own strength, but under the guise of a Spirit-led life. How futile. How sad.
I have come to realize there really is one big difference between the life of laboring to please God and the life God intended for me to live: my standing with God does not hinge on perfect compliance to rules and hitching up my belt to “do my best,” but on His rock-solid promises to me. He never changes. He never wavers in His love for me. When I stumble and fall He doesn’t stand there saying, “Told you to trust Me!” No, He reaches down and lifts me up, dusts me off, and then says, “Let’s walk this road together.”
Live authentically but don’t fear failure. Trust the One the psalmist describes in chapter 102: “They will perish, but you remain forever, they will wear out like old clothing. You will change them like a garment and discard them. But you are always the same; you will live forever.” (verses 25-27)
Stop the “you can do this” talk and exchange it for “He can do this through me.” As a fellow blogger always closes with: Be encouraged.
Before I became a Christian, I fell into the same trap, Bill. I had to learn, sometimes the hard way, that it is/was never about me but what God could and would do through me when I submit my will to His. I’m still a work in progress, and that’s okay. Thanks for this helpful reminder today. Blessings!
I know how you feel Martha. Like you, I’m a work in progress and that’s okay. 🙂
Trying to find the right balance has been a struggle. Expectations of superiors to perform and meet deadlines. Balancing ministry, professional, and personal. Some days, I just want to throw in the towel.
Fortunately, there is an endless supply of towels.
I grew up playing sports too Bill, believing that hard work would always produce success. The lesson in sports that no one taught me was how God viewed success. My mantra now is John:15:5, it took me a long time to embrace and understand, that I can do nothing, not one single thing, without God. Embracing God’s plan for success may not align with the culture, but God wins every time. In the end, standing on God’s team is all that matters. God is still shaping me, teaching me, reminding me, redirecting me. I thank God with all my heart, that He never tires from pulling my feet out of the net. All the glory and honor to God, forever, Amen. 1Tim:1:17
I’ll stand with you and say Amen to what you have written Gail. As long as you (or anyone) keeps the attitude of always being shaped, taught, reminded and redirected, God will continue using you.