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The Truth About Being Still

Growing up, I really struggled to spend time with God on a daily basis. Most times when I would skip over reading my bible or praying, it was because I didn’t actually feel worthy of being in his presence. Even to this day, I have this weird tendency where I feel like my bedroom has to be perfectly clean before I can even think about starting my quiet time. There is something so difficult for me about sitting in the middle of a messy room and trying to focus on God. All I want to do is get up and start cleaning, while he wants me to stay still.

We as Christians often do the same thing in our daily lives. When a problem arises in our finances, relationships, work environments, or personal lives, we want to take control of the situation and fix it on our own so that we can feel proud enough to show God how good of a job we did. This approach is dangerous because it can cause us to miss out on the rewards that come from going about things God’s way. God doesn’t want us to spend our energy trying to fix our problems all by ourselves. He wants us to draw near to him, lean on him, find rest in him, and keep our eyes solely fixed on him.

Inviting God into your mess can be intimidating, but he only sees an opportunity to strengthen your relationship with him. The battle of the perfectionist is learning that it’s okay to come before God even in messy moments. Remember that Christ’s power is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). You don’t have to be perfect to earn God’s approval. He adores you just as you are. All you have to do is step away from the distractions of this life that the enemy has laid before you and be still in his presence.

Challenge: Read the story of Mary and Martha. Notice how Jesus says that Mary chose “the good portion” by sitting at the feet of Jesus rather than worrying with other distractions like her sister.