Wholeheartedly Committed
“So, commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, so that as long as the sky remains above the earth, you and your children may flourish in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors.” Deuteronomy 11:18-21 NLT
The word that strikes me the most is “wholeheartedly.” I often find myself only giving parts of my life or heart to God and desperately trying to control the other parts. For example, I have learned to trust God in the big things, like where I might end up in law school, if I even go to law school, how my career and future might look, etc. But more often than not, I am hesitant to relinquish control over the smaller things, like my errands, my health, my relationships, my part-time job, and any of my other daily responsibilities. I say to God often, “Lord, I trust you,” but then I find myself daily so stressed over whether I will have time to get my assignments done, time to see friends, time to exercise, time to rest, time to focus on my hobbies, time to call my family, etc. I often forget to invite God into my daily, moment-to-moment life. I must remember, though, that if God truly cares about the big things, then He must care about the small things too. Surely, the God who knows the number of hairs on my head wants to be intimately involved in every aspect of my life.
In my bible study this past Monday evening, a girl in my group shared with us that she has struggled so deeply for the last few years, because she said, “I keep trying to make life feel the way it used to, and nothing works. I’m in a never-ending rut, and I worry life will never feel as good as it did when I was younger, healthier, smarter, and more put-together than I am now. Every day, I try to do better. I try to take care of myself, go to class, be a kind person, and work hard. But I still feel empty.”
We often try to make our lives look and feel a certain way, and we so often try to do this on our own! We burn ourselves out trying to be the most accomplished and productive version of ourselves, trying to please everyone around us, trying to perfect our lives in every way possible, then we beat ourselves up when our goal isn’t reached. But what does God say about this?
Well, in the scripture I pulled from Deuteronomy, the Lord says that by keeping Him intimately involved in every part of our lives, by keeping His word “tied to our hands” and on our “foreheads as reminders,” by talking about His word daily “at home and…on the road” and “when you go to bed and when you get up,” you will “flourish” and experience all the blessings God wishes to give you. When we try to have a death-grip on our goals and on our lives – even the small things – we neglect the opportunity to invite God into our minds and hearts and fill us with his presence. When we relinquish the anxiety we feel over trying to do everything on our own or reach our own personal standard, we are not just giving something up to God with nothing in return. No, in response to our surrender, God gives us the greatest gift of all – Himself. He fills us with His peaceful presence and makes His home in our hearts, He guides us along the right paths and leads us beside still waters, and He gives us rest – true rest.
Anyone close to me will tell you that I hyper-fixate to the worst extent imaginable on my looks and appearance. I so desperately have wanted to look perfect my whole life, and I constantly beat myself up over what I eat and how much I work out. If I miss a workout class or go out to eat with friends, my mind tells me that I’m not good enough, that I didn’t deserve a rest day or fun meal, and that all my progress has been ruined.
These thoughts truly begin to cause so much anxiety within me and rob me of so much joy. What would it look like, maybe, if I tied the words of God to my hands and on my forehead and talked about it as often as possible? What would truly inviting God into my life look like for this kind of problem?
I know that the scriptures say “Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.” 1 Peter 3:3-4 NLT, and
“You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body, and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous – how well I know it.” Psalm 139:13-14.
Now, imagine instead of my worrisome, spiraling thoughts that consume my decisions daily, I had the word of God written on my heart and mind. What if I knew the scriptures intimately and believed in them wholeheartedly? How much more could God show up in my life if I just gave Him every little thing! How much more of God’s presence could I get in exchange for the worry and fearful control I have over my life? It seems like I would be getting more than what I gave, but that’s pretty spot on for the kind of God we serve.
So, how can you take this verse and move forward? How can you learn to “flourish” in the blessings of God? You must first learn to commit yourselves wholeheartedly to God and His words. This is much more simple than it seems. For me, I try to make intentional little “pause” moments in my day where I completely stop whatever it is I am doing, and I pray “God, remind me that you are in control, that you care about this moment in my life, and help me enjoy it and see it as you would have me. I choose to think on you and your words and not my restless thoughts.” Whether I’m doing laundry at home, cooking dinner for myself, or bagging food at Chick-fil-a, whatever it is I am doing, I choose to pause and invite God into that moment, and He responds by giving me energy, fresh perspective, and a renewed spirit. Every. Single. Time.
May you come to truly learn that the stressors of your life are not yours only to bear, that the God you serve cares about every minute detail of your life, and the peace you so desperately desire is available to you at any given moment of your day. May you find that learning to commit yourselves wholeheartedly to God is as simple as acknowledging His presence in your daily, moment-to-moment life. May the scriptures become part of your inner thoughts, feelings, and entire way of being and moving so that you will always have reminders of how much God loves you and cares for you. May you find that these continuous reminders, although sometimes convicting, are in and of themselves energizing and life-giving. May you trust that everything you feel you have to “fix” or “work out” in your life has already been handled by the Lord Himself.
“Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him! Fear the Lord, you his godly people, for those who fear him will have all they need. Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.” Psalm 34:8-10 NLT
Blessings and peace,
Anna Takle
