«Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘l never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ » (Matthew 7:22, 23).
What we should fear most is not failure but false success. In his book Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, Pastor Peter Scazzero tells his story. Although they had good intentions, Peter and his wife lived at an unsustainable speed. «For five years I had attempted to do the work of two or three people. We had two services in English in the morning and one in the afternoon in Spanish. I preached at all of them. . . My wife, Geri was lonely, tired of functioning as a single mom with our four daughters.» On the outside, they seemed like a successful family, but reality was much different.
One night, Geri decided to set a boundary. After years of conversations that did not lead anywhere, she said, «Pete, I’d be happier single than married to you. I am getting off this roller coaster. I love you but refuse to live this way anymore.» In that same conversation, Geri informed Peter that she would begin attending another church with their daughters to lead a healthier pace in life. At first, Peter was furious, worried at what people might say.
However, today he thinks it was the most loving thing Geri did for him, by forcing him to face reality and heal their relationship.
Although we talk a lot about temperance, we seldom put it into practice in regard to work and church. We believe that having a good relationship with God implies always being busy working for Him. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. We can work for God for the wrong reasons. We might be keeping ourselves busy at church to avoid facing problems at home. We might also waste years away trying to impress others with our spirituality and efficiency.
Peter and Geri now have a sustainable pace of life. Experience led them to understand that it is impossible to have spiritual maturity without emotional maturity. Accepting our limitations is essential in order for us to grow. Success is doing what God asks us to do; not more, not less. Success is not allowing other people’s expectations to lead us to accept more responsibilities than we can handle, but rather having time to spend with our family and loved ones. Success is knowing Jesus.
Dear Lord, I want to love You and do Your will.
I want to know when to stop and sit at Your feet, even if this world’s Martha’s expect something else from me.
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Take From: Devotional Thoughts for Women 2022
«NO FEARS»
BY: VANEZA PISSUTO
Collaborators: Alexandra Perez & Angelica Cuate
