There are seasons when I find myself measuring life by what I have accomplished, what I still need to fix, or what I believe should have happened by now. I can look at the unfinished places and allow them to become a measuring stick for how well I am doing. But Genesis takes me back to something much more foundational. Before there was anything for humanity to accomplish, there was identity.
Genesis 1:27 tells us, “So God created man in his own image.” Then, in the very next verse, Scripture says, “And God blessed them.” I love the order of those words. God created them. God blessed them. Then God gave them their assignment.
The blessing came before the doing.
Adam and Eve had not built anything. They had not proven themselves. They had not completed a list of responsibilities or demonstrated how productive they could be. Their worth was established by the One who created them, not by what they accomplished for Him.
I need that reminder more often than I would like to admit.
When Doing Becomes the Measure
I am a doer by nature. I like a plan. I like progress. I like to see things moving in the right direction. When there is a problem, my mind
immediately starts looking for a solution. There is nothing wrong with being responsible or working hard, but somewhere along the way, doing can quietly become striving.
And striving is exhausting.
When my mind will not slow down, when circumstances are outside of my control, or when I am waiting on something I cannot make happen myself, I can begin to feel as though I should be doing more. Surely there is something else I can fix, arrange, plan, or accomplish.
But Genesis reminds me that my first responsibility is not to prove myself. It is to remember who I am.
I am created by God.
I am made in His image.
I am blessed by Him.
And from that identity, I can faithfully live the life He has placed in my hands.
Purpose Is Different From Pressure
After God blessed Adam and Eve, He gave them purpose. He told them to be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and care for His creation. Their lives had responsibility, but that responsibility flowed from blessing.
There is such a difference between living with purpose and living under pressure.
Pressure tells me everything depends on me. Purpose reminds me that God has entrusted something to me.
Pressure says I need to control the outcome. Purpose asks me to faithfully steward what God has placed in my hands.
Pressure makes me look at what everyone else is doing. Purpose brings my attention back to what God has asked of me.
Maybe some of our exhaustion comes from trying to carry things God never asked us to control.
Remember Who You Are
There will always be something unfinished. There will always be another decision to make, another problem that needs attention, another unknown around the corner. Life does not suddenly become completely settled.
But perhaps peace does not come from finally getting everything settled.
Perhaps peace comes from becoming settled in who God is and who we are because of Him.
When my thoughts begin racing toward everything I cannot fix, I want to learn to become still long enough to remember. Before I am a wife, mother, grandmother, friend, employee, leader, writer, or anything else I may be called to do, I am His.
Created in His image.
Known by Him.
Loved by Him.
Blessed by Him.
That truth does not change when circumstances do.
I do not have to strive for the blessing of a God who has already chosen to bless me with His presence. I do not have to earn an identity He has already given me. And I do not have to control every part of my life to trust the One who created it.
Today, I want to faithfully use what He has placed in my hands and trust Him with what He has not. |
A great way to get started with
the HEAR Journal Method |
When my mind will not slow down, I want to be still.
When situations arise that I cannot fix, I want to remember.
When I begin measuring myself by productivity, progress, or circumstances, I want to return to the beginning.
God created me. God blessed me. God gave me purpose.
And maybe that is where rest begins.
A Time to Reflect
Find a quiet place today and sit with Genesis 1:27–28 for a few minutes. Instead of beginning with everything you need to accomplish, begin with what God says is already true.
What am I trying to control right now that I need to place back into God’s hands?
Have I been measuring my worth by what I accomplish rather than remembering who I am in Him?
What has God already placed in my hands that I can faithfully steward today?
Where do I need to stop striving and simply trust?
Write this somewhere you will see it:
I was created in His image. I am loved and blessed by Him. I can faithfully live my purpose without striving to control the outcome.
Lord, when my mind will not slow down and I am faced with situations I cannot fix, remind me to be still with You. Remind me who You are and who I am because You created me. Help me live faithfully with what You have placed in my hands and leave the outcome with You. Quiet my heart when I begin to strive, and teach me to live from Your blessing instead of working for it. Amen.
