Cease Striving by Kathy Hendley, PhD

Cease Striving

by Kathy Hendley, PhD

“Cease striving and know that I am God. I will be exalted over the nations. I will be exalted over the earth”

(Psalm 46:10, NASB 1995).

I took piano lessons throughout my childhood. My teacher made me keep track of my practice time in a little notebook. He wrote the assignment, and I earned little trophies by the hours I tracked. One week, I ramped up my efforts for a particular song with notes that looked complicated and fast-paced. I wanted to impress him with the beautiful piece, so I worked tirelessly.

When I got to the lesson, I played with confidence. I’d even memorized portions to avoid a break when I turned the page. However, I had learned the piece wrong in several spots. In the end, I had to invest more time undoing my bad habits than if I had taken the time to get it right the first time.

“It’s not practice makes perfect. Practice makes practiced. Perfect practice makes perfect.” My teacher identified my mistake without needing an explanation from me.

Many of us risk this when we push forward instead of taking appropriate breaks. The intense repetition I expected to fix my tempo took the whole piece off course. Self-sabotage like this can happen in any area of our lives or work.

In my personal life, I use careful planning with my family.  I strive for perfection in housekeeping, party-making, and parenting. I add extra activities.  More practice. As a writer, I take extra time to edit and add more hours to get the manuscript right. I send a few more emails to get the word out. I strive to control the market and the message of my work.

For this reason, the psalmist reminds us to “cease striving.” In striving, we struggle to make things go our way. We devote serious, yet unnecessary efforts toward success. The Lord reminds us in Psalm 46 to “Know that I am God.” We can rely on him to be faithful over the things we can’t control.

The psalmist reminds us to “cease striving,” because God will make himself known. We don’t have to overdo to follow him and obey his calling. We can trust God to work through us for his exaltation.

Lord, thank you for your faithfulness toward me in all things. Help me to trust you in all the details.

Kathy Hendley, PhD has over 20 years experience teaching and coaching.  As a member of Word Weavers International, Kathy writes about the mysteries of life in fiction and nonfiction.  Her mission is to help students, families, and schools deal with the effects of trauma. Kathy speaks to groups about healing and overcoming tragedy. Learn more from her website at https://kathyhendley.com/