Freedom from Performing by Becky Harling

Author:Becky Harling
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The Navigators

Ingredient #1: One Heaping Cup of Worship

Worship the Giver of the gifts, not the gifts themselves. God's gifts to us are an expression of His grace, but they are never to be worshipped. When we begin to place high value on those gifts, we are in danger of making them into idols.

Every gift and anointing comes as a result of God's empowering grace. It's up to God who gets what. To some He bestows extraordinary gifts; to others He gives average gifts; to still others He gives just small gifts. “We have different gifts according to the grace given us” (Romans 12:6), Paul said. “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect” (1 Corinthians 15:10). God doles out giftedness to each person as He decides best. When God gives gifts, it is for the edification of others. Your gifts are not to be the basis of your self-worth. (We're going to talk about this more in the next chapter, where we'll discuss giving up our obsession with perfection.)

When I find myself mixing the old recipe for envy, I stop and praise God for who He is and that He has gifted me according to His plan, not mine. Part of His grace is that He knows me completely. He knows exactly what I can handle and what I cannot. The more I worship and praise God rather than crave other gifts, the more He replaces my envy with a quiet assurance that He knows best. Whether big or small, every gift given to me comes from God and as such is perfect for me.

When I learned to worship the Giver of the gifts, His Spirit filled my heart with the deep reassurance that I am significant, not because of how well I perform but simply because God loves me. The longing for more “impressive” gifts has been quieted in me as my heart has been filled with the confidence that what I long for most I have in Jesus.

One of the ways I learned this was through the dangerous but wonderful journey of cancer. Before I had breast cancer, I considered myself to be a person of great energy, but since cancer and all subsequent surgeries, my energy levels are not what they used to be. At times, I have become frustrated and begged God for more energy. In those moments, God has reminded me that any energy I have is a gift from Him and that His energy is made perfect in my lack of energy. He loves me whether I have a lot of energy or none. Some of the most intimate experiences I've had with Him have been when I'm exhausted.

While in prison for his faith, John Bunyan wrote Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners. In this autobiographical sketch of his conversion and call to ministry, Bunyan penned these words: “Gifts are desirable, but great grace and small gifts are better than great gifts and no grace.

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