Author: bluebirduncaged

Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction
~2 Timothy 4:2

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
~Ephesians 6:12

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous, do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
~Joshua 1:9
You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
~1 John 4:4
To battle!!

Lately, I’ve learned that sometimes you have to consciously decide on something before it happens. I know that sounds obvious but how many times have we let our circumstances dictate our actions and thoughts? Sometimes choosing to respond a certain way can make all the difference.

About two weeks ago, I started getting really stressed about ballet. All the

what ifs and how am I… and there’s no way… started bombarding my thoughts. Consequently, they became manifest in my dancing; I began to get tense. Then, of course, I got even more frustrated because that’s one of the things I’ve been working on for the past two years.

Then I realized that all my worrying and anxiousness was a result of relying on myself. By getting all worked up, I was squishing God down to a size way smaller than He deserves. I lost sight of how big and huge my God really is and had to remind myself that He knows what He is doing.

Then I decided to just rest in the fact that He has it under control. I chose not to worry about what may happen because whatever it may be, He’s got it under control. And because He’s got it under control, I don’t have to get all tense; I don’t have to carry the weight of having it all together. And I don’t have to worry about what my future holds. I just have to relax and be ready for whatever He brings my way. All this is just part of the process of learning to surrender and choosing each day to dance in His freedom.

Sometimes I try too hard. I try to make everything perfect at once and in an effort to do everything right, I hold myself back from progress. That’s one of the things I’ve been working on this year—relaxing. Mainly, I’ve been told in ballet “don’t get so tense, just feel the movement” but this concept also applies to everyday life. We try so hard to make everything just so; we make plans and set goals to put ourselves on the right track, we try to make the right connections, and arrange our schedules for maximum efficiency.

Yet sometimes trying too hard can be counterproductive. Sometimes we just need to let go. When we put pressure on ourselves to fix everything, we basically tell God, “I’ve got it taken care of. I don’t need you.” But nothing could be farther from the truth; we do need Him, more than we think. In our moments of being overwhelmed we can either continue to rely on our own strength, or let go of the reins (that were always in His hands anyway).

When we start to feel the pressure of life bog us down we need to refocus. We should ask ourselves,

• Where am I focusing my energy? Is it on myself? or on God?
• What is my job?
• Who is my audience?

We need to learn to live in His grace. In letting go, we’ll find more freedom than we ever imagined. I think it’s kind of like being a bird in a cage. Sometimes we think we might like to stay in the cage. It’s safe, we wouldn’t have to take any risks, we wouldn’t have to be uncomfortable. But we would never be free; we could never fly, we could never explore the world around us; we would never know the feeling of soaring. When we choose to live in the freedom of Christ’s strength and His grace, we have the potential to do more than we ever could on our own.

I’m not saying we should be lazy. Just because we’re not relying on our own strength doesn’t mean we can lie around and expect God to work for us (though He could if He chose). No, in surrendering to Him, we are allowing Him to work through us. Sometimes, we just need to stop trying to micromanage every aspect of our lives and remind ourselves to live in the moment. For through His strength and grace, more progress will be made than we could ever accomplish on our own.