grace given me

Have you ever watched someone you love struggle under the weight of ambition? It can be a challenging thing to parent. My daughter just wrapped up her second year of college. With her sights set on law school, she had to persevere and finish strong. As final exams closed in, the pressure to achieve began to feel intense. As she started to stress and obsess, I wanted to help her strike a balance between working hard and releasing the outcome to God. I texted her, “Remember, these are goals, not gods.”

Time and again, we are reminded, as in Proverbs 16:9: “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” It is a delicate balance. We were each created to do great things, and we are meant to offer our time and talents to the world. Yet, we must always keep in mind that God’s plans and God’s ways are best. Both effort and trust are required.

Psalms 139:13 declares, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful. I know that full well.” Do you know that full well? God was excited to make you. You are his handiwork. God is good, and God is love. Everything he does is good and everything he does is in love. You are original, valuable, worthy, special–one of a kind. You are exactly who you are supposed to be. You are enough. No one can take that away from you. You can only give it away if you stop trusting that he made you intentionally and purposefully.

Jeremiah 29:11 promises, “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” Have you considered that there’s a problem waiting to be solved, or an idea waiting to be born—and you’re the only one uniquely equipped to do it? God has plans. He needs each of us activated to help bring those plans to life.

To stay in alignment, we must maintain a kingdom mindset. ‘Your will, not mine. More of You, less of me.’ Matthew 6:33 directs us, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

While encouraging my daughter, a book I was reading brought Proverbs 6:6 to mind: “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider her ways and be wise.” Setting aside the ‘you sluggard’ part, I find this verse to be both instructional and inspiring. Of all the animals, why did God choose the ant? We’ve all seen those motivational posters—eagles soaring, lions roaring, elephants charging. But an ant? Reading a little about ants, I learned that they live in colonies with a strict division of labor. Each ant has a specific role. Ants are incredibly strong for their size, capable of carrying many times their own weight. Quietly and purposefully, they go about their business: foraging and storing up food, building and maintaining their nests.

Does that help anyone else release a deep breath you didn’t even realize you were holding? You don’t have to be the strongest or fastest or smartest—or anything else. You just need to be you. Faithfully doing the work God set out for you to do. We’re not meant to shrink back, nor are we to carry more than we were meant to handle. As we move forward in our assignments, God will help us carry more than we imagined possible. He will help us build – our professions, our homes, our relationships, our storerooms. He will lead us to so much more than just our goals.

Lord, you are such a good God. I love that you are more than what first meets the eye. Your nature has so many beautiful layers. I am growing to love your upside-down kingdom and the paradoxes that once burdened me. I treasure the way you teach us to hold seemingly opposite things in tension and find peace in the balance. Because I believe in you, I trust that you will help me do great things. I thank you for the peace of mind and heart that the world cannot give. Since your peace is a gift I must accept, I accept it today. Amen.