September 23, 2019

STOP THE STRIVING.


I had a coffee date with a new friend recently and honestly, it was the most life-giving coffee date I've had in a long time. It wasn't long, but the conversation got deep and it got deep pretty quick (which is true to Kiki fashion).

At the end, my friend told me something along the lines of "liberty is achieved when we stop striving." And those words hit me to the core. The week prior, I had been struggling with anxious thoughts, worrying about the future and trying to make sense of everything that I didn't have answers to.

I knew the minute it started that the worries would only spiral out of control so I'd been trying to release them to God as quickly as possible, but it took those sweet honest words and that sweet honest friend to wake me up.

As we were chatting, I disclosed that I can be pretty detail-oriented and focused and often desire organization and timelines to make sense of things and bring about some sort of "peace." She told me that those are all good things, adding in that she sees me as driven and goal-oriented, but that there is also life-changing freedom to be had when we let go and rest, taking things one step at a time.

And that's when it all clicked. Striving, trying to make sense of the unknown, often looks like worrying and over-thinking everything (my brain really does have too many tabs open). And those bad habits never get me anywhere. They just tear me down and destroy the good that God's given me.

I want the rest of this year to look different than it has in the past. I can see the worrying warning signs quicker now and just knowing that the Enemy is trying to tear me apart and make me believe the fear instead of the Truth has helped me stand guard. Reading through Romans has helped more than I ever thought (Romans 8 was such good timing last week), and prayer plus sharing with my tight-knit community has provided me with room in my lungs to breathe, too.

So here's to taking it one day at a time. Slowing it all down. And enjoying and savoring what's right in front of me.


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© IN ITS TIMEMaira Gall