A few years ago, I would’ve read that verse and silently said, “Yeah, Yeah, I can rest in Heaven.” Are there any other Enneagram 3s out there who can relate?
Pursuing perfection was my specialty throughout high school, college, soccer, track, serving at churches, and growing my business. Whenever I felt that I had come up short, the feeling of inadequacy would envelop me, causing me only to train and work harder to achieve what I thought was the success that would bring joy and satisfaction.
In January 2021, I met my love. We got married 6 months later, and 9 months later, we had our little girl, Amelia. Still, in the pursuit of worldly success, the feeling of inadequacy hovered over me, causing me to become irritable with my husband and miss the true joy of having a precious little girl. How does one get out of this joyless and exhausting cycle? By being humbled by many injuries from overtraining and by falling short of worldly standards in my business. This left me relying on the awesome work Jesus has already done through His death and resurrection, where a relationship with Him brings true joy.
Can you imagine living the perfect life, paying the ultimate price to save humanity, and seeing people still work themselves ragged in pursuit of perfection? God wants us to experience the sweet gift of His “unforced rhythms of grace.” What Jesus did gives us rest because He has already done it all for us; we just need to trust in Him.
Through Jesus’ perfect sacrifice, He is pleased with you. He wants us to enjoy Him and the life He has given to us. I urge you this Easter season to take a step back and reevaluate the harmful cycles you go through while in pursuit of perfection and success that cause you to overlook the sweet, precious moments of life.