For my entire life, I have been operating out of a performance mindset. With that, everything that you do is based on the thought that you are loved ONLY when you do everything right and according to the standards of the person that you want to be loved by. You strive day after day to be seen and validated by the person, only to fall short when expectations are not meet. Unfortunately, you never feel loved or accepted but only resolved to failure and the realization that you are never enough. When I was growing up, I remember watching my siblings get into trouble and vowing that I would never do the things that they did so I wouldn’t get into trouble. I began to strive for perfection. I made good grades in school and worked extra hard, so that I wouldn’t experience the punishment and the disappointment of my parents. I tried to be the perfect, obedient child in every way. But that striving for perfection snowballed into a life ruled by fear and frustration and ultimately, giving up. You see, the fear of not being enough, not being perfect, just led to frustration and more fear and more frustration until the ultimate outcome was to give up and quit. Every relationship in my life has operated with this mindset of performance to earn love. Unconditional love is never earned or maintained by performance. It is just that, UNCONDITIONAL!
As I write this, I realize that even my relationship with God has been with the same mindset. I’ve got to do everything right before He will answer my prayers. I’ve got to make sure that I pray enough, read the Bible enough, go to church enough and then, He will hear me and bless me. I’ve based my relationship with God, not entirely on the works of Jesus, but on my ability to perform and be perfect. Since perfection is and always will be unobtainable, I strive until I’m worn out and then just give up! I don’t walk away from God but I limit His ability to work in my life because I don’t truly expect Him to deliver because I’m simply not good enough. My motive has always been performance when it should have been POSITION!
Performance and position are opposite ends of the spectrum! The Bible says that God knew me before He formed me in my mother’s womb. He has called me accepted. He created me with a plan and a purpose. All of my days were written out before the foundation of the world. He did that! He called me and chose me eventhough He knew I was going to fall short and mess up. My right standing with God is my position in Jesus and His works on the cross, not based on my performance. I can never do enough to earn His love. It is freely given to all that RECEIVE, not all that strive to earn.
The Bible says that perfect love cast out fear. I’ve always read that verse and wondered what that would look like. To be honest, my life has been ruled by fear for so long, that living without fear almost seemed unfathomable to me. However, as I write this, I’m getting a glimpse of what that means. There is a resting, a peace, that begins to settle on you when the truth of your position begins to become clear. I’m not striving to earn anything. I’m not working to earn His love or His approval or His attention. I am just resting in my position in Him. I can expect Him to take care of me and all the things concerning my life because He is a good Father and loves to give good gifts to His children; not His perfect children but HIS children! When you begin to realize that everything flows out of your POSITION and not your performance, that is truly when your life will shift to a new level that you have never dreamed possible!
And yes, there will be things that God will ask us to do. But, examine your motive for doing them. Are you doing it out of your love for Him and your position in Him or is it simply a performance mindset, hoping that you get it right so that you will earn God’s love and acceptance? Let this be the last day that you strive to earn anything through your performance and not your position!!
Multifaceted Praise 