One thing that God has been teaching me lately is to fully realize that He loves me for me, not for what I do for Him. Too often I have attached my worth to my accomplishments or to how much I was pouring out and helping other people. But during the past few months especially, I have been learning what it means to just abide. To rest. To be. And to know that God loves me just as much when I’m not able to do much, as he does when I am working myself to the bone.
This is something I’m still in the process of learning. It is something that I still struggle with at times for sure. But this realization is truly transforming me in ways I never knew possible. What I do doesn’t define me.
I’ve been on modified bed rest off and on (mostly on) for a while now. This pregnancy has been so different, and has challenged my way of thinking in many ways. There have been many days when I haven’t been able to take my son, Liam, to the park to play. Or days when I haven’t even been able to make dinner. Or do the dishes. And many times I have been overwrought with guilt and felt like I was less of a mom and wife because I was falling short in these areas.
Then this morning, when I was wrestling with some of these same thoughts, I read this…
“So then, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you may do, do all for the honor and glory of God.” – 1 Corinthians 10:31
Doing all things for the glory of God isn’t just referring to the seemingly “important” or “sacred” things. It may simply mean resting, or eating your lunch with your toddler, or giving yourself enough grace to just be you without all the crazy expectations from other people or yourself.
Your striving for significance and acceptance is only doing more harm than good. You do not need to earn God’s approval or love. He gives it freely. And it makes His Father heart sad when we do not understand this. He is not keeping a scorecard of all of our accomplishments to see if we’ve done enough on any given day. He simply wants a relationship with us. He cares more about the contents of our hearts than the contents of our to-do list.
Remember this, friend…God loves you for you, not for what you do.
