Daily Delight
To the one who is exhausted from trying to measure up: I get it. I’ve been there.
It is painful and frustrating because, as you have probably figured out by now, it is impossible to measure up.
No matter how hard you try to reach a person or group of people’s standards, no matter how hard you work to meet your own personal expectations or the expectations that you believe God has, you will never fully reach them, you will never please everyone.
So I hope you can find comfort and relief in this truth: the only one you need to please is God. And He is happy with you just as you are, His beloved daughter.
He doesn’t command that you go there, do this, or be that. His greatest and most important commandments are these: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind… The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:37-38, HCSB).
He hasn’t asked you to follow a list of rules, He has asked you to walk and operate in Love, in Him, because He is Love (1 John 4:8). When you accept and live in the Love of God, He will convict you of sin and urge you to serve others out of that Love, but that is not His first and foremost goal.
God doesn’t ask you to memorize the rules and pass a pop quiz before you can know Him, He wants you to come to Him, converse with Him, learn about Him, and let Him lead.
You don’t have to work so hard and exhaust yourself, you can rest in the Loving arms of Jesus. He didn’t die so that you could work yourself to death, He died so that you could live in the freedom of knowing that you belong to the Creator of the world and He asks nothing more from you than a relationship.
You don’t have to try to be a child of God, you already are. Just breathe and be.
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Photo: @dreacoci
About the Author
Bethany Boynton
≫ ≫ Bethany is a twenty-three-year-old blogger, newlywed, and book addict living in central Kentucky. There are few things she loves more than having a strong cup of coffee with a good book or a group of girlfriends. Bethany strongly believes in the importance of vulnerability, authenticity, and sharing one's story of God's Love and Grace. To connect with her and learn more be sure to check out the Choosing Jesus Blog at BethanyBoynton.com.