Surrendering Self-Sufficiency to Find Rest in Jesus

I’m pretty independent when it comes to feeling like “I can do it”. In fact, I kind of grew up with the attitude of, “if you want it some right, do it yourself!” Maybe you share some of these traits? Come to think of it, I’d say our whole society has become a DIY (do it yourself) society. Think about it, you need an answer, Google it. You need to learn how to fix you refrigerator, YouTube it. If your feeling down or troubled, you find a podcast to cheer you up. You see, while those things in and of themselves are harmless, it keep us away from interacting with God and others. And while it’s great to be informed, we have to recognize that consuming information in isolation rarely leads to transformation. So we can’t allow our consumption of information to outpace our connection with others. Dig where I’m going here? Covid-19 hasn’t helped. I don’t know about you, but I need some some people! Ha!The truth is, following Jesus is a journey of surrendering our self-sufficiency and recognizing our need for a Savior. No matter how hard we try to be good enough, to work hard enough, or to gain enough material resources, wealth, or wisdom, it will always fall short of God’s standard...perfection. To follow Jesus is to admit that we don’t have it all together, but that there is One who holds everything together, including us. We can’t live a life fully surrendered to Jesus while also idolizing independence. We need God, and we also need others to help us live a life that honors God. When we’re feeling worried or anxious about the weight and demands of life, we often try to fix it ourselves or find the solution on our own.“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."”Matthew 11:28-30 We need to surrender to Him. It’s only then that we’ll discover we don’t actually have to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders after all. When we’re trying to solve everything, we can’t solve anything, because God has given each of us a unique role to play in sharing God’s love with others. We need each other.Following Jesus isn’t about what we can do. It’s all about what He did. And our appropriate response is to continue to give up control, to depend on God instead of ourselves, and to recognize our need for others. So, I urge you to ask for help this week, look for refuge in Jesus and your neighbor. It’s ok, you were not designed to carry it on your own. Have a great week!Be Nice, Grace Wins