Just Walk Away

Often when we think about being a better person or more specifically a better Christian we think about things we have to do better or things we have to do more of.  We are supposed to go to church, pray regularly, give thanks and to praise God, ask for forgiveness, forgive others, give a portion of what we earn back to God, read and study the Bible, tell others about Jesus, serve at church and love and serve people in the community. 

This isn’t an all-inclusive list, but even just thinking about what I have failed to do on this list and what I need to do better on this list leaves me feeling like a failure.  I feel guilty that I don’t do what I know I should.  I want to do better and often I make a conscious effort to do better but it seems like I rarely make any progress.  It’s a vicious cycle of guilt, failure, and feeling unworthy of being called a Christian.

There is nothing inherently wrong with these things and we should do them.  I strongly believe and have often taught others that our faith must result in action.  The Bible tells us “faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” James 2:17.  No one with true faith will sit idly.  The action of loving God and our neighbor naturally follow being loved by God and having faith in God.  These actions and practices strengthen our faith and likewise our faith strengthens these practices.

But the truth is these actions were never meant to be a burden.

Through Christ, God has set me free to be the person God intended me to be.  This should create a sense of freedom and joy.  But I am often left with feeling the burden because I am weighed down by things that are not of God. 

In order to do I must first be.  I cannot do what Christ has called me to do if I am not the person Christ has called me to be.

And in order to be the person who God sees me as, I need to let go of all that is not what God intended.  It’s not about doing more.  For me right now the things I need to chip away at are frustration, the anxiety of not being in control, unworthiness, and uncertainty.  They are consuming me.  Yes, it’s a process, but every day I’d like to take at least one tiny step toward walking away from these things.

God has set you free too. Think about what is it that you need to get rid of.  Just shake it off or set it down or cut it out or whatever else you need to do.  You don’t have to hold onto all those things.  You are free to walk away and never look back.