The weight of the world is heavy. Jesus says His burden is light. Yet I find myself often choosing the world. Even though time and time again, it smashes me into the ground. And I wonder why the heck I keep falling for it? Why do I keep falling for the lies that things on this planet will make me satisfied and full?
If I looked like her, I would feel good.
If I could make enough money we wouldn’t have any problems.
If my family acted this way, everyone would like us.
If I could be a Pinterest perfect mom, then my kids would have a good life.
If I could gain popularity, I’d feel more confident.
If I lived in a house like that, then I could feel good about having people over.
All these things. All these lies. They leave me feeling disappointed and like a failure.
Do you know how much the devil loves that we focus on this crap? That He literally cheers whenever we fall into these comparison traps and believe the lies?
Do you realize he is behind all this?
Because these things become idols... they become our focus instead of God.
And even if we were to achieve these very unrealistic standards, we would still ultimately find ourselves unsatisfied and empty.
Because they aren’t Jesus. Plain and simple.
I only know this because I’ve tried a million times. And each time I ended up unhappy, disappointed and feeling like I wasted a whole lot of time, energy and money on things I never should have.
I know this, too, because I've met the people who seem to have it "all together", yet they still struggle and experience a deep void in their heart without Jesus.
We don’t bring our image, our homes, our Pinterest crafts, our money, or our careers to heaven with us. It’s all temporary.
In the eternal perspective, these things mean very little.
So I’m saying to you what I say to myself: Don’t let this world swallow you up. Don’t believe the lies.
You were never meant to form your life around these expectations.
Take the light burden Jesus offers.
Take the freedom He offers us to let go of the things that are only weighing us down.
He truly has a better way for us to live. It's simpler and it's beautiful.
His way is so different than the world's, but His way is also what our hearts truly long for.
If you find yourself unsatisfied and chasing worldly things, bring your attention back to Him.
Break off those lies and replace them with His truth.
Joy and peace come from dwelling with Jesus. Not from things of this world.
~Kelli Bachara, The Unraveling Blog
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