Work or Worship?

©Ashley Lluay 2013

...Service is an act of faith. It isn't me doing work for God, but it is me trusting God to do the work in me... Worship, not work, flows out of the hearts of those who believe.
--Emily P. Freeman, Grace for the Good Girl

I've been reading "Grace for the Good Girl" by Emily P. Freeman for a couple weeks now. It's been extremely convicting and encouraging. I've been learning a lot about how easy it is to hide behind my goodness and forget to rely on God.

As I was reading the other day, the author was referring to the story of Mary and Martha, and she said, "Worship, not work, flows out of the hearts of those who believe."

Worship, not work.

How often I find myself working to please God instead of taking the time to worship Him.
In fact, working is one of my defense mechanisms.

I often get frustrated with myself for things I'm not doing right. If someone tells me I need to do something better, I usually take it as an attack on my character. And so, I work.
It doesn't really matter what it is-- housework, schoolwork, work-work... I jump into a job and I'm in "let's-get-this-done" mode. Well, more like "let's-get-this-done-no-matter-what-and-don't-anybody-bother-me-because-I'm-working" mode. Why do I do this? Because I feel that in order to redeem what I've been lacking, I need to prove that I'm still good.

It's so easy to fall into working to earn God's favor and love and grace, instead of just accepting it. So easy to believe the lie that you have to work to earn God's love.

"Martha, Martha. You are worried and bothered about so many things, but only one thing is necessary." Luke 10:41-42 NASB

I have my "many things" that I am always worried about and busy with. I have a long list, some of which include: housework, cooking, cleaning, laundry, being a good wife, teaching photography classes,  writing/blogging, teaching kids class at church, taking photos, keeping up with friends, spending time with my husband, studying, being there for people who need me, going to Bible studies... the list goes on and on.
These are the things that steal my worship away. Not that any of these are bad things, but when I get caught up in all this and see it as work, I lose focus on the one thing that is necessary.

I need God to teach me to see my "many things" not as a long list of everything I have to get done so that I will be a good wife, a good Christian, and a good woman; but as a bunch of opportunities to serve Him. I want Him to teach me to worship Him in the mundane instead of just work. I want to know what it feels like to truly worship all throughout the day, and not be bogged down by worry and anxiety of all that I feel needs to get done.

Choosing to please God sounds right at first, but it so often leads to a performing life, a [person] trying to become good, a lean-on-myself theology. If I am trying to please God, it is difficult to trust God. But when I trust God, pleasing Him is automatic.
--Emily P. Freeman, Grace for the Good Girl

May I  learn to trust God, to worship Him. May I learn to focus on who He is rather that who I am. May I do what He wants me to do, not what I think I need to do. May I learn to shift my perspective from an earthly one to a heavenly one.

Learning to Trust and Worship,
Ashley Lluay, Lightchaser

Do you struggle with working instead of worshiping? Is it difficult for you to trust God rather than please Him? Do you get stuck in the lie that you have to perform to earn God's favor? I'd love to hear about it in the comments!

Works Cited:
Freeman, Emily P. "Martha and My Many Things." Grace for the Good Girl: Letting Go of the Try-hard Life. Grand Rapids, MI: Revell, 2011. 63,65. Print.