Last week, I shared a few thoughts about lies we believe that mess up our wiring. Using Ruth Simon's thoughts from her book When Strivings Cease, we summarized that truth counteracts falsehood and sorts our wiring. Today, I want us to briefly examine her conclusion on where we will rest when our strivings cease. Again, I highly recommend this book.
Let's begin by defining what things she calls strivings. She bases her discussion on our innate need and pressure to perform and seek to sustain a standard that doesn't disappoint anyone else. This striving is why we are so tired, keep hustling, feel like we are never enough, and fail to flourish. We bend, straining to meet expectations and fill the gaps of our unknowns with trust in no one but ourselves. Sounds exhausting, doesn't it?
She says, "We strive when we long for something we believe will pull us out of despair and into a sense of fulfillment. We strive to make our dreams come true. Sometimes, those are tangible dreams like starting a business, becoming debt-free, or earning a doctorate. But sometimes those dreams are intangible, like finding love, feeling accepted, or being happy with who you are."
We have all struggled with these things, and some may still struggle. But when strivings cease, life is different. There is room for peace and grace, and a settled security catapults us into growth and maturity.
Simons lists these seven things as signs of release from striving.
1. We no longer need to prove our worth. Our worth is found in Christ alone, and we rest there.
2. We stop chasing approval as our comfort. We find confidence and comfort in who we are in Christ.
3. We glory in our weaknesses. Weakness is no longer connected with shame but bound to God's intimate work in my life for His glory. I marvel at how He uses me despite my weaknesses.
4. We hold God as greater than our accomplishments. To Him goes all the glory for anything we have done. It is all by His grace and gifting.
5. We know peace apart from pleasing others. We now impart peace instead of trying to derive peace from others. Our peace is found in our settled resolve of God's unconditional love.
6. We understand that God is for us and no longer against us. He is working all things for our good. There is now no condemnation from Him as we walk in the Spirit. God is on our side, and we are on His.
7. Jesus so captures our gaze that we stop chasing everything else. He becomes preeminent in our thoughts and decisions. Pleasing Him becomes our goal in every area of our lives. Jesus is King, and we answer only to Him. As Paul writes, "That we may be found in him" (Philippians 3:9).
Today is a good day to measure your strivings. Are they producing undue stress? Can you exchange them for one of these truths of release? Do you understand the truth presented here, or are you holding on so tightly to self-performance that you are afraid to let go and let God?