My heart is so willing to stay focused on Jesus, but the rest of me tends to get in the way. Paul says in his letter to the Romans, “For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing” (Romans 7:18b-19, New International Version).
This is me and I can guarantee that it is most of us … most of the time. Oh, we try. We really try and there are times in our lives when we see great success in our spiritual lives. We are working so diligently to eliminate sin and exhibit the fruit of the Holy Spirit within us … and then we realize that we’re doing all the work and pride sets in and before we know it we come to understand just what sin looks like in our lives.
Then, there are those times when we simply relax and recognize that God’s power in our lives doesn’t need us to do a thing except be open to him. That relationship is more important than working to live a spiritual life. It is in those moments that we truly find peace; because it is in those moments when we are obedient to the one message Jesus kept delivering – Love God, Love others.
If you think about a physical location where you find peace, you might imagine a beach or a mountaintop, a lake, a campsite, or even the privacy of your bedroom when everyone else has left the house. In those moments you relax and there is nothing to intrude on you that raises your blood pressure.
When we find ourselves focusing on the relationship with God rather than on our religious or spiritual behavior, we can allow ourselves to relax.
God has done all the work. He has sent His Son so that we can be forgiven; he shows great mercy and love for us. We don’t have to work at being spiritual or sinless; we simply have to relax into the relationship and recognize that He continues to be at work in our lives.
Focus on God; allow him to be God in your life. Relax and find peace in him.
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