Day 2409 of the 7 day Bible verse challenge.

Isaiah 40:31 NIV

Yesterday we talked about the vastly different versions of freedom that we have to choose from. There’s the worldly version that we all know so well. The version where we just throw caution to the wind, ignore responsibility, and cater to our personal desires. But then there’s the version found in Christ that sets us free from the illusion of control and power that we’ve grown accustomed to. His version is where we can finally find rest and peace for our souls. But sadly many will never find it because it requires us to lay ourselves down and let Him take over.

The reason that I will continue to focus on my faith and fight every single day to grow and strengthen it is that I’m tired. I’m worn out. I’m done with carrying this load of thinking that I have to this all on my own. I’m tired of this idea that my life is nothing but a culmination of the petty things that I want. I’m tired of serving myself. I’m just tired of this miniscule existence where all that matters is what I find important from one day to the next. I know that there’s more than that and living a life that has me front and center has never led me to anything that was worth having.

I think most of us reach that place at some point in our lives. We run out of steam. We lose the ability to keep going after things that only bring us temporary excitement or fleeting satisfaction. We get tired of relying on external things to keep us propped up. When our joy is tied to anything outside of our hearts then we’re walking on shaky ground. It’s only a matter of time before the foundation gives way and we’re left trying to pick up the pieces and having to start all over again. Living for ourselves on our strength alone is a seriously vicious cycle that will lead to nothing but ups and downs.

And that just gets old. Life is already full of ups and downs. The things we face that come out of nowhere are already more than enough to send us reeling. There’s no point in adding even more struggle and confusion by chasing things that only let us down and leave us weary. That’s why we have to learn to lean on God rather than ourselves. We may be able to scratch and claw our way through life and manage to stumble upon some fleeting happiness here and there. But why choose the struggle of doing it all our way by our strength when God is there with a far different option?

Now I know that we love to think that we’re these invincible machines that can do it all by ourselves. I know that the sense of control and power that way of thinking can bring makes us feel amazing. But again, it just doesn’t last. At some point the unavoidable truth that doing it our way is seriously limited is going to shine through. It’s all fun to think that we’re stronger than we are, but just remember that the higher we build ourselves up the fall back to reality only gets higher as well.

There’s just this excitement in knowing that we have only scratched the surface of what a life of faith is like. It brings this sense of more rest, more peace, more freedom, and more hope the further we go. I know that God can lead us to places that we will never find by ourselves. He can heal things that we didn’t know were hurting. He can open doors to things we could never even dream of. But we have to be willing to choose the path of humility rather than arrogance and pride. After all, He can’t lead us to anything He has to offer if we’re not willing to follow Him.

Just always remember that the Lord is our strength. When we’re worn down and tired He has more than enough to keep us going. This life will beat us up, that’s something we all know very well. But when we lean on Him then we’re able to keep standing through it all. Trying to do this alone so that we can choose our own way and prioritize the things we want may seem great. But why do all that work only to end up at something that is truly small compared to what God can lead us to? That just seems like a whole lot of wasted time and energy for something that can’t last anyway. No point in wearing ourselves out only to find out that we could have had far more.

#LeaveNoSoulUntold