Most of us are chronically overextended, doing more activity for God than our relationship with God can sustain. The notion of a slowed-down spirituality—or slowed-down leadership—in which our doing for Jesus flows out of our being with Jesus is more of a dream than a lived experience.
Jesus spent over 90 percent of his life—30 of his 33 years—in obscurity. In those hidden years, he forged a life of loving union with the Father.
He continued to prioritize his relationship with the Father throughout his 3-year ministry. As a result, Jesus modeled contentment amidst pressure, calmness in the face of betrayal and power to forgive at his crucifixion—the fruit of a long history of living in knowing deeply that he was “beloved” by his Father.
I am convinced that a significant reason many of us lack the qualities Jesus modeled in public is because we skimp in our relationship with God in private. Instead of contentment and calm, our leadership is marked by discontent and anxiety.
If it was necessary for Jesus to have this kind of ongoing relationship with the Father, we’d be delusional to think we could skimp on investing in our hidden life in God without experiencing negative long-term consequences.
God invites us—at every stage of our life and leadership—to grasp ever more deeply that we are his “beloved,” i.e., we are deeply loved by him.
Getting this truth frees us from the demonic voices that tempt us to draw our loveability from other sources, and fills us with the courage we need to do God’s will regardless of where it leads.
This article was originally posted on EmotionallyHealthy.org.