By Jeremy Griffin
The title of this blog is the sametitle of the first message I heard from Francis Chan. That was about 4 or 5 years ago but I still think about it often.
I have a habit of HAVING to be productive to feel I have added value. This is a pretty reasonable mindset if you think about it. On the job or even at home, once you get to a certain age or once you are trained there is a full on expectation of productivity. The problem is that we accomplish this "productivity" so often out of our own ability and strength simply due to our approach to the situation. I don't want to get ahead of myself here so let me back up.
Slow down and show grace... this thought process came when I started feeling high levels of anxiety to make things better in every part of my life. Running sound, creating graphics, managing the household and so on. I was running myself to death! I heard the words of Francis Chan just in time. The crux of the teaching is that at the core of this productivity was PRIDE!
Pride that had me believing I could make it better, I could change it, I could build it, I, I, I... It seemed a noble enough cause to want to help and make things better but I was doing it out of my own power and rarely consulted God on the plan.
The slow down came through a word from God to "rest". It became literal and figurative but He wanted me to do just that...rest. In that "rest" something amazing happened. The problems and holes I felt so driven to fix and repair began to seemingly take care of themselves. The truth was that God was now operating and I was at rest.
Funny thing about letting God "just do it". It get's done BEST! This is not to say that God didn't use me to get some of the things changed, upgraded, built, altered and so on its just that I started doing it God's way.
Now when I encounter a challenge, a problem or anything that I feel needs "fixed" I simply stop and rest. I get clear direction from God on 1. Is this what He wants me to do or is it for someone else? and 2. What and how does He want me to contribute. Notice I said contribute? Yeah, I work more out of my gifts fitting with others gifts than I do flying solo. I would say that at this point little if anything I work on is a unilateral project.
So if you are stressed, feeling like it's up to you to fix everything then stop, slow down, show grace and let God work through you alongside others.