“Don’t strive, just abide, and you will thrive.” For the last couple of months, every time I pray and ask for guidance, this has been the answer I get. “Don’t strive, just abide and you will thrive.” A constant repetition going on in my head. Now, I love the sound of this, it sounds so simple!! Yet, I’m finding just how much I really strive instead of abide.
God has been teaching me lessons of abiding for a while now. But it seems as now He has upgraded the assignment, I must learn to cease striving too. This is probably one of the most difficult things to ask of me. I even strive at not striving! I try, and try, and try. I’m the little engine that could..I think I can, I think I can, chug, chug, choo choo!
Really though, it’s not easy for me to just abide. To just be. To completely, totally, utterly release my concerns, fears, plans, dreams, into His capable hands, and just worship. I can’t wrap my mind around how not striving produces results. Yet you see this so many times in the Bible. God’s ways don’t ever make sense to us! He is not rational, we can’t comprehend Him logically.
The more I grasp this idea, that there is nothing I can do to fix things, or make things happen, that my job is simply to worship, adore, rest and abide in Him, the more I do see certain area’s in my life beginning to thrive. I am a LONG way from where I need to be, but it’s exciting to see progress, and I love how it has changed my relationship with Him. He has so much to offer me! And I’ve been so busy trying to give to Him, I haven’t stilled myself enough to receive what He has to give to me.
Of course it’s good to work hard, and serve Him and others, that’s not what I’m saying. But I think that sometimes it becomes a focus and a distraction. Too often in my devotion times, I strive…I sing, and play, and write and read in my time with Him, which He adores, but I’m finding that what He adores just as much is loving on Me! He doesn’t just want me to do all this stuff for Him, He wants to be with me! He wants to sing over me, hold me, speak to me, love on me. It’s a relationship, and in healthy relationship, love goes both ways.
That’s part of abiding, letting Him love us. Receiving all the brilliant things He has to offer: perfect love that drives away fear, joy unspeakable, peace that passes understanding, grace that captures us, a renewed mind and restored hope. These are just a few things He so generously longs to lavish on us as we abide and receive. He loves when we do for Him, but He loves to do for us too. It’s another example of the majesty and mystery of an amazing creator, who is a hopeless romantic at heart!
Let’s work on this together, not striving, just abiding and therfore thriving! Let’s rest in the Father’s amazing love, and receive all that His great heart desires to give us as we abide in Him.
