Where Striving and Trusting Collide

Happy Monday, friends, and long time no see! This past week was pretty quiet around here, but things are getting back to normal now. So grab a cup of coffee and settle in :)

There are a lot of things I want to do with my life. I want to grow as a Christian and I want to break free of fear. I want to be a wife that supports my husband and loves him better each day. I want to be a mom, but not anytime soon. I want to be a professional blogger, without losing sight of why I blog.

I want a lot of things. I want a lot of good things- things that would bring glory to God. But something has been staying on my mind lately- something that I haven't quite figured out how to balance.

Striving

When we desire change in our lives, we typically are willing to work for it. We know that most things aren't just handed to us, so we keep on striving and keep on pursuing. 

Striving can come with negative connotations. I even read something recently that made striving seem ungodly. But striving in and of itself isn't a bad thing. Striving can simply mean working with diligence towards an end goal.

But striving can become dangerous when we put all of our efforts into reaching one particular goal, forgetting the reason we started. When striving becomes an obsession or causes us to veer from our original cause, we may have a problem on our hands.

Trusting

God has a plan for His children. He has a time for everything that comes along, and He has a valuable purpose for each of us. 

So when He has placed dreams and desires in our hearts, it is He who will turn those dreams into reality. We simply have to trust Him.

I don't need to worry about how much I will grow in my faith this year, or when my blog will become profitable. All I have to do is work towards those dreams with my main purpose at the center: glorifying God.

As long as I live to use my faith, my marriage, my blog (and everything else) to glorify God, I can rest easy and leave the fate of my desires in the hands of my Maker.

Where Striving and Trust Meet

Striving and trust don't have to be at odds, but we have to find a healthy balance. I'm not an expert, and I haven't accomplished that balance yet, but I do believe it's possible. And I think that healthy striving means working hard and being faithful in the things I can control: bible reading, prayer, my attitude, organization that aids my goals, etc. I can choose to be a loving wife. I can choose to write the truth with conviction on my blog, and I can choose to do my best in everything I set my hands to.

But I don't need to worry about who will read my blog, or if it will ever make enough money to be my career. I don't need to worry about how fast I grow in my faith, or if I conquer my fears this year or next. I don't need to worry about whether or not I am the best wife in the world, or if my friends are better wives than I am. I can only be the best wife I know how to be and ask God to help me improve. I can only seek God to grow me in His time, and stay consistent in my relationship with Him. And I can only work diligently to grow my blog within my means, and continue learning so that I can improve.

Healthy striving means doing my best in all I set my hands to. Trusting means believing that God will take care of every area of my life. When I decided to do everything for the glory of God yet reject the idea that everything is up to me, I can begin to rest in and trust God for His timing and His plan. He will work everything out for my good: my blog, my wifely abilities, my entire life. There's no point in putting pressure on myself to make those things happen. God will take care of all of that. I can only work hard and trust.