(Gal 5:22--23, Phil 4:11-12)
I am an ambitious person. So much so, that if I sit anywhere too long without contributing anything to my goals, I feel idle and stressed. And I could be having fun. But it would still feel like I’m falling behind in my work and I need to do better if I plan to accomplish every single thing I’ve ever set out to do. And it’s distracting me from the little, great things in my journey. The lesson learned here. The resilience there. The newfound strength in my voice. I can’t measure my growth because I’m always reaching for the next thing. Looking for more. Riding high on the fact that I believe God made me great and gave me all these talents and abilities and that I should be multiplying them unless I want to lose them. I think to myself every day that I am meant for more.
And I am. But not more checks on my list of things to do. Nor for more hustle. Not for more loss of sleep. The neverending hustle and no rest mentality has no regard for the mind, the spirit or the body. I truly believe it’s why some of us are anxious, stressed, over-worked and insatiable. Our brain is an endless feed of something else to consume or do.
I believe the more that we were meant for lies, moreso, in the intangibles. You and I were meant for more leaning into God, so we wouldn’t have to bear so much on our own. It sounds cliche, but we’re meant for more love--not likes and comments love, but real, genuine love--and joy filling our spirit in ways that relieve physical pressure. WIth joy and love, it feels easier to breathe. More kindness to yourself and others serves as a reminder that this life is not all bad. There are good parts and good people and good that can be done through each of us. And as much as we hate self-control and discipline, it is the very thing that keeps us from cutting each other down in the streets in the heat of the moment. We need more of it. What we need is more patience with ourselves and our journeys. To take our feet off our own necks and acknowledge that we are always exactly where we’re supposed to be and once we learn the lesson, we’ll be free to move forward. If we eased up, we could give ourselves a mental break. We could give ourselves a chance to breathe. We could just live freely. Right here in this moment.
I’m not saying don’t accomplish anything and I’m not saying that sloth behavior is where we find our rewards. I’m only offering the idea that just as Paul and Timothy wrote in Phillippians 4, our contentment doesn’t rest in what we gain or lose in the world around us. It is found in the God who resides in us. Our “more” is found in His word and concepts and instructions. And as His creations that is what we’re meant for.