Introduction - Are you tired?

Are you tired? Are you mentally, physically, spiritually tired? What about all three?

I am a school teacher for a high school and every day I am responsible for about 150 students. I teach a project based and lab based class so we stay extremely busy cooking, sewing, and doing various projects. By the end of the day, I am mentally tired from the countless questions, the exhaustion of worrying if I am doing enough, and the pressure of being a good role model to my students. I am on my feet all day so by the time I make it home I can barely stand on some days. Then, I have the responsibility of achieving my wifely duties of cooking and cleaning the house. So, if I could describe the last year of my life it would be - tired - very tired. Y'all just ask my husband, I am the queen of naps.

I am sure you can relate to what I described above, especially if you have kids to take care of as well (definitely not ready for that yet). So, by the end of the day you don't even have time or energy to have quite time spent in God's presence. So you are spiritually tired or burned out, as well as mentally and physically tired.

Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

But as women, do we truly know how to rest?

We are constantly trying to measure up and trying to prove ourselves. Maybe we are doing it all wrong though.

"What if instead of living insecurely you were watching God move through you in ways you couldn't believe?"

"What if instead of craving things you were fully satisfied and at peace?" (Proven, Allen, Page 9)

In the last six years, my life has been constantly changing and at each stage I was trying to prove myself and striving to be enough. In high school, I tried to prove myself as a leader and a christian student. I tried to prove myself to my parents, teachers, and my team mates. In college, I tried to prove myself to my adviser because I wanted her approval. I tried to make good grades and prove to be independent by working. As I got married, I tried to prove myself to be the perfect Proverbs 31 wife (ha, yeah right). In my first year of teaching, I tried to prove myself to my administration, my coworkers, and my students. In my everyday life I tried to be enough by dressing in the latest trend, posting the right pictures on social media, portraying the correct lifestyle. Striving...proving... trying to be enough. A constant cycle in our lives as women.

You know where this left me?

TIRED.

This is what I had to realize:

I am not enough

I am not going to measure up because Jesus is enough. I don't have to prove anything because Jesus proved everything on the cross. He is enough so that we don't have to be. He is the enough we could never be.

So many of us, including myself, do not know what that means so we can not rest in that truth. We are constantly trying to perform and work harder.

You are not enough.

It stings and it hurts, but it is the truth. After we absorb that, we can breath and release a sigh of relief.

It feels like we are constantly treading water and drowning from the pressures of this world and the idea that we have to strive for perfection but Jesus says, "he is the living water and we can find rest in him." John 7: 37-38. So many of us continue to be thirsty even though, living springs of water are right over the hill, completely available to us.

The enemy will tell you that you are helpless and insignificant and he uses every distraction possible to distract you from Jesus' goodness. He will make you numb and distract you from God's story for your life. He will make you believe that you have to compare your story to someone else's story. That is because he knows that your story is dangerous.

He will attack your identity so you will focus on yourself instead of God.

He will tell you that you have to prove yourself to the world, that you are important, that you are in control, and that you are enough, and that it is the only way to freedom.

Good news - wherever you are, whoever you are, whatever you have done, no matter where you have been or what you have done. You do not have to prove yourself to Jesus. He proved that He is enough on the cross. He loves you and He wants you to focus on Him instead of constantly proving yourself to Him and the world. There is freedom in knowing and resting in that simple truth.

Rest in His truth and in His presence. Do not miss the Spirit leading you, loving you, and comforting you. Jesus is that spring of water that we crave and that we long for.

Questions:

What consumes most of your thoughts? Why?

What consumes most of your time?

What are you most often afraid of? Why?

Are you striving? In what ways?

This blog post is based off of the book, "Proven" by Jennie Allen. It is such a life changing book that will open your eyes about how much we strive and how we do not have to prove ourselves to Jesus. Here is a link to the book if you are interested in buying it, https://www.lifeway.com/en/product-family/proven-bible-study