22 July – Being not doing!

I remember years ago when we had just had our first beautiful baby girl Anna. I was busy wondering how to do everything and be everything, when God spoke to me. Over the years as we have had five more children and got busier and busier with life, I’ve had to remember what He said, which has helped me many times to slow down, and get out of the muddle and stress I have allowed myself to get into.

God spoke to my heart and simply said,  “Just “be” instead of do” “Being rather than doing!” What a relief that was. God didn’t expect me to do anything, just simply to be; to be in His presence, to be full in Him, to be joyful, and to be mindful of not getting caught up in the hurry, scurry and flurrying pace that the world around us is so full of.

Often when I am busy I will hear those words whispered again. “Just be, don’t do”. When I take notice and stop “doing”, then everything that needs to happen in my world flows much more easily. But when I take my attention off Jesus and start getting into striving, stressing and “doing”, I always end up in a “pickle”.

It’s takes practice to just “be”; to be in God’s presence, to be in Him, experiencing fullness of life in Jesus, but it is possible if we let go of our agenda’s and way of doing things, and trust Him to lead and guide us through our day. He knows all that we have to do, but He also knows the best way to manage everything joyfully and free of stress and toil.

“In Your presence is fullness of Joy; in your right hand there are pleasures for evermore”. (Psalm 16:11)

“For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power” (Col 2:9-10).

God so wants us to enjoy Him and to enjoy the life and good things He has planned for us to walk in. It’s not all about what we can do for God, but about just being in Him. He wants us to know we are loved by Him, and for us to love Him too. We actually don’t have to do anything to earn that love. He just loves us because that is who God is – He is love.

Spend some time today “Being, rather than doing”, for that is where fullness of joy is found.

Prayer: Lord please help me to stop getting caught up in “doing” all the time, rather than simply “being”. Being who you made me to be, being loved, being accepted, and being in your presence. In Jesus name Amen.