The pressure to perform well is high, isn’t it. To be a great mom or boss, to be a great student or athlete. Whatever it is you do, you probably have a desire to do it well. And you should. The drive to do well is probably what gets you out of bed in the morning- even if you do so begrudgingly.
But in that pursuit to do well, we can lose ourselves. We can get caught up in feeling like a failure when we fail a test or in doing a task. Maybe we find a measure of success and suddenly feel good about ourselves. And without realizing it, we like ourselves a little more when we do well, and accept who we are a little better. When those we lead are flourishing, we are flourishing. When our kids respect us, we respect ourselves a little more.
This way of living will trap us though and put us under an impossible weight we were never meant to carry.
Every now and then, we won’t perform well. Even the best miss a shot and fumble the play. We’ll get angry with our kids or spouse, we’ll make the wrong decision, and people will notice. We’ll put our mind to something, and it won’t turn out the way we hoped.
Suddenly, we didn’t just make a mistake; we feel like a mistake. We’ll begin to question what we’re doing and why we’re doing it. We’ll make radical, life-altering decisions all because our identity was based on how well we perform, instead of who God says we are.
It’s easy to believe God loves us when we do well. That’s rational. But did you know God loves you despite how well you perform this week? God loves you when you are at your worst? God’s grace is for you when you lose it with a co-worker, or can’t seem to get motivated to get anything done.
Before Jesus began his ministry to people, He was baptized by John the Baptist. As he did, the Bible tell us that the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in the form of a dove and said, “You are My Son whom I love, and in You I take great pleasure.”
Before Jesus performed a miracle, God was pleased with Him. Jesus didn’t do His work on earth to make God happy with Him. God was already proud.
We try and perform in an attempt to please God. And in our attempt to do so we feel like God is mad at us when we make a mistake- or at least, disappointed. Parents often tell their kids how proud of them they are when they do something well. I wonder if sometimes we ought to tell our kids we are proud of them when they don’t. Can we be pleased with who they are without them having to do anything?
Whatever you set your mind to do this week, do it knowing God is already pleased not that you have to earn it. He takes pleasure in you no matter how you perform.