Doing Too Much

I tend to get myself into trouble when I do too much. I overtalk. I over-explain. I get overly involved. I insert myself into situations that probably don’t require my involvement. And somewhere inside, I can actually feel myself trying too hard.

I recognize that feeling now. It is often my insecurity pushing through.

There is a part of me that fears people not liking me, not respecting me, or not seeing my value. There is also a part of me that wants to maintain control—or at least what I imagine control to be. So I speak again. I explain one more time. I send the message. I get involved. I try to fix something that perhaps was never mine to fix.

Every overreach and every unnecessary step can be a quiet attempt to prove my worth.

But what am I trying to prove?

If I truly believe that God loves me exactly as I am, then I don't have to fight so hard to establish my value in the eyes of others. I don't have to win every disagreement, correct every misunderstanding, or make sure everyone sees things my way. My worth was never theirs to determine.

Sometimes faith means doing less.

It means allowing silence to remain silence. Letting other people have their opinions. Allowing situations to unfold without my interference. Staying inside the boundaries of what is actually mine to control and trusting God with everything outside of them.

There is strength in restraint.

I don't have to prove myself today. I don't have to control the outcome. I don't have to make everyone understand me.

I can simply do my part, release the rest, and remember that God already knows my worth.

“Be still, and know that I am God.” — Psalm 46:10

Sometimes being still isn't doing nothing. Sometimes being still is resisting the urge to do too much.