I am currently going through a Bible study and this was a verse within a passage of scripture during one of those days and it jumped out of my Bible and spoke to me. It was if the Lord was saying to me, "Stop. Slow down. What you are doing is good, but learn to rest in me."
Now don't get me wrong...I understand that once we're sufficiently plugged in to our true energy source, the only thing that can sufficiently sustain us, our Bread of Life (John 6:25) that we will be conformed more and more into the likeness of Jesus through refinement and, potentially discipline (or pruning, as the verses in John 15 describe).
However, the word of the Lord makes it clear that our works don't define our worth in Christ.
As a self-proclaimed "do-er", this is a hard truth for me, so let me state that again, since it bears repeating.
Our works don't define our worth in Christ.
Our acceptance of Jesus Christ's spilled blood on the cross did that. We are priceless treasures to our Lord.
Luke 12:7 (NIV) Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
This is not at all to say that works - good works - are not important in our lives. Matthew 25 teaches us that we need to be attuned to the needs of the 'least of these' around us and respond to those as Jesus would have responded.
I truly believe that we should be plugged in and serving in some area of ministry and modeling what that service looks like for our children. They should see that servant heart displayed and lived out in front of them. I have been fortunate to have several talks with my older two about the "why" of my involvement in Mama Club over the past few weeks and they both have a deeper understanding of why their mommy spends one night a week away from home, interacting with and (hopefully) helping other mommies.
However, my sense of worth should not come from my involvement in various activities, my 'roles' in organizations, my titles, my (insert whatever here). My sense of worth should come from being a child of the risen Lord. Period. End of discussion. No amount of my hurried and potentially frazzled activities should change that. Just like John 6 states, I believe in the one that the Lord sent - and need to continually evaluate my activities to be sure that the Lord wants me there (1 Cor 10:23), those activities align with that message and that I am helping to point people towards the Lord.
Am I the only one who struggles in this area? Commit to working on worth in Christ alone - not in our activities - with me, even if it means being a little less of a 'do-er' or letting go of guilt that may accompany those works sometimes?
