“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
2 Corinthians 12:9
Pressure to perform.
Do you ever put so much pressure on yourself to be perfect that you end up not being able to move forward in anything because you “aren’t ready,” “aren’t enough,” or you are afraid of it not turning out perfectly? I’ve definitely experienced the kind of pressure that makes me feel like I’m not ready to do something, even though I know it’s exactly what the Lord is encouraging me to do.
Sometimes we put so much pressure on ourselves to figure things out or to have a 12-step plan that we don’t move forward unless we can see it all from the beginning. We want to guarantee results before stepping out, but God wants us to step out without seeing the result or needing to feel ready.
Although there are no guarantees in life and things don’t always turn out perfectly, we CAN rest in knowing that little steps of obedience eventually lead us into the fruitful life that God does want us to walk in daily. We don’t have to wait until we FEEL ready to be able to take a next step. We can trust that God is giving us the peace and confidence to do whatever it is we need to do today without worrying about tomorrow’s results
His will be done.
We can also fear making the wrong choices, as though whatever we choose to do might not be in line with God’s will. We can spend hours in prayer trying to “discern” God’s will for us in a particular situation and still end up doing nothing out of the fear of getting it wrong. The pressure to be perfect and do everything perfectly can keep us boxed up and unable to move forward in the freedom God has already given us.
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.”
1 John 4:18
When we ask God to do His will in our lives, we no longer have to try to control how things work out. We no longer have the pressure of figuring things out. We can move forward in confidence that God is in control and no matter how things turn out, He is working it out for good.
Takeaway Action/Challenge: What’s the next step for you that has you discouraged, overwhelmed, worried, or afraid of what will happen? Take those worries, insecurities, and fears to God in prayer. Spend some time with Him and listen to His heart for you. Sometimes steps of faith mean we can’t see exactly where we are going before we take each step. He’s fully capable of getting us where we need to go, whether or not we feel ready.
