Up until I was about 20-years-old, I thought that hard work was the expectation. And I did everything I could to meet it. I worked. I volunteered. I prayed--or at least, closed my eyes and made it looked like I was praying. I memorized dozens of Bible verses and could spit out the books of the New Testament in one breath.
And then I met these people. Now, I call them my closest friends. But back then, they were weird to me. They didn't try hard to be Christian, they just relaxed and enjoyed the fact that they were loved by Christ. They didn't grumble when the alarm went off on Sunday mornings. They literally jumped for joy at the chance to sing their favorite song and worship God. They prayed--out loud. For a introvert like me, it was terrifying to pray out loud. What if someone, who wasn't Christian, heard me? More importantly, why pray out loud when I didn't even feel as if God heard me.
It pains me to look back and realize that I literally thought God couldn't hear me. I grew up in a Christian environment where my walk with Christ was based on what I did. And it was exhausting. I worked so hard to meet people's expectations, that my relationship with Jesus never actually was a thing.
I couldn't rest in Christ's love, because I was too busy working hard to earn his love. I couldn't enjoy going to church because I had no reason to go to church other than making an appearance to the people around me. I cared more about what came out of my mouth during a prayer, than what a prayer really should be about: what comes from inside of you. I was too busy to realize that I didn't need to scream to some distant sky to make God hear me. God is already in me, through the Holy Spirit, and that I can communicate with Him right inside of me.
There is a real sense of calm and love when you pray--like, really pray--to God about your life. There have been times where I have felt I have literally no one to talk to about the struggles I feel. But I have caught myself thinking, "At least I can talk to God about it."
There is a real sense of acceptance when you don't feel like you have to work for God's love anymore. There is no stress, no feeling of guilt.
That being said: We are here on this Earth to do God's work. I'm sure you have heard that before. We are called to work for God, but we don't have to work for God's love? Sounds a little confusing, right?
Challenge:
Search the Bible for verses about "doing good works" or "good deeds."
Think about this:
So where is the balance? If you don't have to work hard to become a Christian, why do Christians keep working hard even after they are saved?
