“…and after you have done everything, to stand…stand firm…” Ephesians 6
It’s never easy, is it?
The curveballs that come our way, the challenging people we engage with on a regular basis, the quick swipe through our social media accounts reminding us that we missed out on something, or we are obviously not as happy and fulfilled as so-and-so, all have a way of shutting us down and drawing us inward. We might laugh and call these “first world problems”. Yet, these are the very things that tend to pierce my heart and send my mind spinning out of control. These little, seemingly insignificant, things are the very tools the enemy uses to steal my sense of purpose, my confidence, my clarity and my identity.
Maybe those little things are not so little after all.
I have discovered that if the enemy is successful in hijacking my sense of purpose, my confidence, my clarity and my identity then he has also successfully disarmed me for the bigger battles that are coming my way. Those “first world problems” are typically the distraction tactics that keep me from embracing and walking in the call of God on my life.
Can you relate?
Is there a voice, externally or internally, that is hammering you with half-truths and condemnation and you feel like somehow you are not measuring up?
Have you been plowing and sowing and pouring yourself out in obedience to God, but it seems as though most of your hard work and faithfulness has gone unnoticed?
Are circumstances inside or outside of your home breaking you down and shaking your confidence?
Have you allowed social media to dictate your worth, your relevance and your purpose?
Has the car repair and the broken down washing machine taken your eyes off of Jesus and turned you inward toward self-pity?
It’s the little things that bind us up and knock us off track.
“Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm.”
When those little things come blowing in like a gale-force wind, remember to stand firm.
“Let nothing move you.”
Accusations, condemnation, upsetting circumstances, disappointments and unmet expectations will make every effort to shake your footing and cause you fall. Remember…let nothing move you.
“Always give yourself to the work of the Lord,”
The most powerful and effective way to overcome the influence that the little things try to have on your life is to always give yourself to the work of the Lord.
“…Because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:58
And here is where I really want to speak a work of encouragement…
What an incredibly gracious God we serve who invites us – ordinary, inadequate and messy – to walk with him, serve alongside him, minister and love, and to extend mercy and grace to the unlovable and needy of this world. It just takes my breath away and causes my heart to skip a beat that I get to be a part of this God-story. The enemy hates it. And if you are also giving yourself to the work of the Lord, whether that be ministering in your workplace, raising your family to love and serve God, teaching, serving in your church or active in full-time ministry, the enemy is not happy with you either.
And so, it oftentimes will be the little things that will distract, send you into an identity crisis, hold you captive and draw you inward so that you do not walk in the confidence of your calling. And this makes me sad. The work of the Lord is precious, unique, necessary and impossible to accomplish without you.
So when the little things begin to agitate and upset…stand firm, and let nothing move you.
Keep plowing the field and sowing the seed. Remember to whom you belong. Remain faithful to the One who called you. Don’t allow the little things that have disrupted your life and your world to take your eyes off of the One who called out and called you by name.
Your work is not in vain.
“Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9
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