I’m weary today. If I told you of every day I felt weary you’d grow weary of hearing it.
All too often I ask myself, “Do I stick with this theme of cultivating a life well-lived? How do I keep writing about it when I experience numerous challenges that make me feel like I’m not living well?”
The answer keeps coming back the same. Yes. Keep writing. Because…
We’re not just cultivating a life well-lived, we’re cultivating the things which bring life to our souls so we can truly live. We’re cultivating the things which help us live well no matter what our circumstances are.
Chances are, I’m going to keep facing hard things for a long time ahead of me. So are you. You have and you will again.
I wish I could tell you life will get easy and stay that way. The reality is, one season begets another season. They’re up and down repeatedly.
But there is hope. Real, true, everlasting, life-altering, hope.
We don’t need a false hope of perfect days, we need a greater hope of the perfect One in our days.
We all have our own kind of hard and we face challenges which can knock us off our feet. At the same time, God is with us and He is the source of our strength, courage, and healing so we can continue in every circumstance. Whether our trials are small or great, compiled over the years or exploding in a season, hard times are a reality for Christians.
You know what we don’t often talk about? How life’s experiences can be all the more challenging the more we choose to follow Christ. We will endure persecution and trials as Christ followers. What we do in those moments shapes our hearts and souls to live well if we live out of the power of the God we serve.
What do we want in this life? What do you want? What do I want?
We want success. We want health. We want ease. We want comfort. Too often we want this even when we say we don’t.
I want my tough circumstances to GO AWAY ALREADY. I want them fixed. I want them righted right now.
The desire for all being well in our lives is common to every human. The desire to satisfy ourselves and make our satisfaction happen perpetuates across cultures and eras.
It’s possible to say we surrender all, to even believe we are sacrificing ourselves for the sake of Christ, while still operating out of self-protection and self-rightness. I’ve done it. When I take an honest look at my motivations, I often find it happening.
We want to be right. We want to live “right”. But…
Sometimes, the more we try to will ourselves into living right, the less right we find in our lives. The less rest we find by living in the righteousness of Christ.
In some ways, the more we attempt to be right, the less right we feel, because our hearts wage war with the one who loves us. The one is right in all the ways.
By trying so hard to live “right”, we miss a right state of being. The kind of living where we experience more peace, joy, and freedom because it’s drawn from the beauty of Christ’s perfected love in us and not our perfected attempts.
Do we want a “right” life, the way we see it, or do we want a life found snuggled up right close to Jesus, trusting in what he sees?
What do you want in this life?
CULTIVATE PRAYER: Oh, Lord, how it grieves your heart when we try to do it all on our own. We want it fixed now and we want it our way. Forgive me, forgive us, Father, for thinking we have to figure it all out when you say to rest in what you already know. Give us courage to lay down our demand to be right and find ourselves trusting in what you say is right for us. Amen.
Some great points to ponder my friend. I want my circumstances to o away. It’s so much harder walking the journey of healing. Thank you for sharing.
Oh Barbie, how true! It’s is hard to walk the journey of healing. But so, so worth it! Keep on, friend. You are a blessing.
Yes, this….Sometimes, the more we try to will ourselves into living right, the less right we find in our lives.
🙂 Hugs, Debi.
Amen and thanks for sharing your vulnerable with all of us. So often many of us feel like this, yet think we are alone in our feelings. Thanks for your bravery to share!
Oh Lord, help us to stay out of self-effort & rest in You! Wonderful post!