Have you seen the Microsoft Windows 8 commercials with the catchy little tune by Lenka?
I can’t resist a catchy tune so I looked up the song and of course the bouncy, light feel of the music drew me in and I downloaded it. After listening to it several times I started to hear more than just the tune.
As sly as a fox, as strong as an ox
As fast as a hare, as brave as a bear
As free as a bird, as neat as a word
As quiet as a mouse, as big as a house
All I wanna be oh, all I wanna be, oh
All I wanna be is everything
Everything at once
To be honest, she has articulated exactly how I feel a lot of days. I want to be everything at once.
As a wife, I want to be submissive and strong. As a mom, I want to be gracious and stern. As a friend, I want to be loyal and honest. When I’m faced with a challenging situation I want to be brave and kind. The list goes on.
compassionate,
discerning,
conversational,
patient,
smart,
authoritative,
quiet,
funny,
kind,
stubborn.
There are so many roles in my life and instances that require me to be so many “things” . . . at once. But how is that possible? How can I be everything at once? It’s not. It’s not possible no matter what I “wanna” be. It can be exhausting trying and what I’m learning is that I need to stop trying.
For so many years of my life as a Christian I have “tried”. I’ve lived thinking that I was in control of being everything at once. And do you know what that ended in? Disappointment, guilt, frustration, sadness . . .
Scripture says that it is God who works in me (Philippians 2:13). My efforts to have all these characteristics and traits are in vain. I am not in control. When I became a child of God through Jesus Christ I was equipped with everything that I might need to do His will (Hebrews 13:20-21). The very same God who raised Jesus from the dead equipped me! So why in the world do I honestly believe that my trying is going to get me anywhere?! I’m already equipped by a power that I can’t even comprehend.
This equipping continues on until Jesus comes back through something called sanctification. (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24). I am being sanctified every single day of my life on this earth. The Lord will not leave me, he won’t stop molding me, he won’t quit on me. He will continue this work in me until completion at the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6). Amen!
So do I need to replace this “trying” with something else? Do I just sit back and literally do nothing? No. I will seek God with all my heart through immersing myself in His word, being in continuous conversation with him (prayer), and simply taking the time to be still and listen. The efforts in trying to “do” and “be” are replaced by seeking wisdom from my God as if seeking for silver (Proverbs 2:1-5). David makes it clear in His song of thanksgiving, “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!” (1 Chronicles 16:11, Psalm 105:4)
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