Everyday Faith Archives

Your Work Doesn’t Determine Your Worth

The laundry is still unfolded, the emails unanswered, the to-do list undone. I sigh and ask, “Have I been productive at all today?”

Anxiety and accusations are the only response. So I pray, “God, what lie am I believing? And what’s the truth that replaces it?” This is a new habit I’m practicing. It’s uncomfortable and hard.

Yet in that quiet moment it seems my heart hears a reassuring whisper…

Life isn’t about being productive. It’s about being purposeful.

I’ve often believed the lie that God’s first priority is what I can produce: a basket of neatly folded laundry, a dozen email responses, a to-do list with check marks. But the truth is there are things that matter just as much or more. Like feeding my granddaughter waffles while she giggles in her high chair, going for a walk with my husband, brainstorming an idea that may never turn into anything.

Just because something doesn’t have tangible results doesn’t mean it doesn’t have eternal impact.

I’m no longer going to ask myself, “Have I been productive today?” Instead I’m going to ask, “Have I been purposeful?” To me that simply means living in love. Sometimes love looks like laundry and answering email and checking off what’s on my list. Those are good and worthy things. But often it looks like the exact opposite, like we’ve done “nothing” at all. And that’s okay too.

Our work doesn’t determine our worth. Our accomplishments don’t earn us God’s acceptance. Our value isn’t validated by our hustle. We are already and always loved.

Whew. I needed to remember that today. You too? Now I’ve got some laundry to do…

XOXO,
Holley

You’re invited! Join me this January for a *free* Online Bible Study! There will be exclusive gifts and giveaways just for members. I would love to walk with you through Strong, Brave, Loved: Empowering Reminders of Who You Really Are. Get on the Waiting List for the Online Bible Study here, and feel free to invite your friends to join us.

On today’s episode of More than Small Talk, we’re chatting about common challenges this time of year and how to prepare for them so we can have less stress and more joy. Listen to Episode 49: Hustle-Less Holidays here.

Let’s Choose Holy Confidence Instead of Comparison

by Holley

I walk through my home, thoughts swirling through my mind like the dust bunnies doing dances in front of my vacuum. I think of other women who have cleaner houses. Which leads to thoughts of those who cook better meals. And that goes on to the ones who have cuter outfits, and are better at social media, and can make small talk with ease.

I wish I could be like . . . is the refrain that goes round and round in my mind.

Finally, feeling drained, I hit the power button on the vacuum. I whisper a question, “God, why do I feel the need to be like so many other people?”

It seems there is an answer that comes so quiet . . .

Because the enemy would rather have you be like anyone but Jesus.

If I’m busy trying to be like Mary, Martha, and Margaret, then I’m left with no time to be me. Or, more specifically, to let Jesus be who He is through me. Each of us are made in the image of God. That means we’re created to show Him to the world in a way no one else ever has and no one else ever will.

I do that by being who He made me. And you do that by being you.

As I wrote in the Holy Confidence chapter of Strong, Brave, Loved, “The world tells us we need to have self-esteem but what we really need is holy confidence. For years I tried to prove I was enough. Perfect enough. Good enough. Experienced enough. Smart enough. Pretty enough. But it’s only when we come to the place where we can finally say, ‘I’m not enough but Jesus is’ that our hearts get free.”

I empty the vacuum bag into the garbage and admire how dust and clutter give way to clean again. I smile because my heart suddenly feels like that too. Comparison replaced by clarity—about who I am, what I’m called to do, and the God who’s wild enough to choose me for His purposes.

My new devotional, Strong, Brave, Loved: Empowering Reminders of Who You Really Are, released earlier this month, and I’d love for you to join me as we walk through it each day — together. Information on the Online Bible Study is available here, and I hope you’ll sign up!

If you aren’t already listening to the More than Small Talk podcast, we’d love for you to join us as a Fourth Chair Friend today. Listen to Episode 47: Clutter, Chaos, or Creativity? here.

It’s Time to Fight Back. You Are an Overcomer.

by Holley

I settle into a comfy chair in a counselor’s office and begin to share the lies that sometimes swirl around in my mind. Like a tornado they threaten to destroy everything in their path. My peace. My joy. My belief that I’m loved.

I say to the counselor, “I know these words aren’t true. But in the hard moments, they feel true. And that’s where I’m stuck.” Can you relate? If you’ve ever felt that way, I want you to know you’re not the only one. I also want to reassure you it’s possible to beat those lies. Yes, it’s not only possible but also your right as a daughter of the King.

For years, when I heard lies my default response was “try harder.” But after months of counseling, conversations with friends, and time with Jesus, I’ve learned a new way. These days my response is no longer “try harder” but rather “fight back.”

The accusations toward our souls aren’t proof of our inadequacy; they’re proof that we have an adversary.

And the enemy is not ourselves. There’s a reason we use the phrase “beating ourselves up.” When we think the problem is us, we become harsh toward our own hearts. But our primary battle isn’t against any person — including ourselves. And the lies we hear have the same source as the first lie spoken to Eve in the Garden. If you are a woman in this world, you are at war. It is not optional. And while you may not go roaring into battle, at the very least you need to know basic spiritual self-defense.

That’s what I lacked. Even after writing books, even after encouraging thousands of women, I didn’t know how to defend my own heart. My husband and I recently watched a TV show in which the hero faces a powerful opponent. At one point the hero becomes weary and takes punch after punch. With tears in my eyes, I said over and over, “Fight back. Please fight back.”

It’s the same feeling I get when I look at my sisters in Christ. It’s the same one I get when I think about how I let my own soul be treated. And it makes me want to shout: ENOUGH. It’s time to fight back. It’s time to guard our hearts. It’s time to protect our minds. It’s time to stop taking the punches and instead take the victory in Jesus’s name.

Here’s the truth about us no matter what we may hear: We are overcomers. We are more than conquerors. We are stronger than we know, braver than we feel, and loved more than we can even imagine.

This post is the Day Three devotion from Strong, Brave, Loved: Empowering Reminders of Who You Really Are. My new devotional released earlier this month, and I’d love for you to join me as we walk through it each day — together. Information on the Online Bible Study is available here, and I hope you’ll sign up!

In this week’s episode of More than Small Talk, we’re giving listeners a behind-the-scenes look at counseling, talking through myths about it and sharing why some of us would rather go to a session than a spa. Listen to Episode 45: The Truth about Counseling here.

God Is Not Looking for Perfect Examples

by Holley

I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
{Philippians 1:6}

I’m an amateur eavesdropper. I often work in coffee shops where conversations swirl around me as thick as the scent of espresso. Most of the time I’m able to tune them out but sometimes one makes my head snap up from my laptop. I’ve heard scandalous confessions of love, details of doctor’s appointments and workplace complaints of all sorts. This morning I found myself the recipient of some unsolicited wisdom.

A young man and his mentor sat next to me talking about faith. Apparently they’ve been meeting awhile because the young man asked, “When am I going to be ready to help someone else?”

The mentor paused and then answered, “I think you’re asking the wrong question. Because as long as you ask ‘Am I ready?’ then you’ll always be able to find a reason you’re not. A flaw. A struggle. Something you think you need to learn more about. The better question to ask is, ‘Have I received something?’ If so, then you have something to share. When is the best time to start passing it on? Yesterday.”

I looked over for a second just to be sure he wasn’t talking to me. Because I have wondered this as well. Haven’t we all? Here is a secret of faith I’m learning: We never feel qualified. We never feel like professionals. We never feel like we’ve got it together enough to really make a difference. And maybe this is a good thing. Because the only folks who seem to have believed otherwise were the Pharisees.

God is not looking for perfect examples. He is looking for ordinary people willing to just love one another. He is calling the messy, the broken and the incomplete. This is good news for all of us. It means our role is not to show off; it’s just to show up. He will give to us and then He’ll give through us. We’re simply asked to be willing and brave enough to do it as we are and not as we’d like to be.

My heart needed to hear all of this today. Maybe yours did too. Perhaps sometime we’ll run into each other at a coffee shop and we can talk it over. And when we’re done, I’ll try very hard not to eavesdrop on you.

This post is an excerpt from my new devotional Strong, Brave, Loved: Empowering Reminders of Who You Really Are. It released last week, and your kind words of encouragement as you share about the book online have meant a lot to me. I’m grateful for you!

Have you added your name to the Waiting List for the {free} Online Bible Study that I’ll be hosting? I’d love for you to join us. Learn more about the Study here!

Today’s More than Small Talk podcast episode is about loving broken leaders. Join us for an honest, timely conversation about why so many leaders seem to be burning out or giving up (and why you could too) as well as how we can all help each other.

This Is the Truth: You’re Braver Than You Know

by Holley

I can’t think of a single time “brave” showed up as an emotion in my world. I know what it is to be brave. But in those times often what I still feel is fear. The pounding of my heart and the quickening of my breath. The spinning of the earth beneath my feet and the sense that I may be full out crazy to go through with what I’m about to do.

And as I think about this, I realize maybe I’ve misunderstood what brave feels like: I thought it was a roar and a lunge. But maybe it is a whisper and a trembling step. I thought it was loud and bold. Perhaps it’s quiet and almost invisible. I imagined it would mean the absence of all insecurity. Yet I’m wondering now if it’s faith dancing the two-step with doubt.

If this is so, then what makes me act brave is also what scares me silly.

This lets me breathe a sigh of relief. Because it means I don’t have to wait to be filled with confidence and courage before I can do anything, I can just show up anyway. If that’s so, then I have more courage than I thought. And more answers than I realized. So do you.

XOXO
Holley Gerth

This post is a small excerpt from Strong, Brave, Loved. And in just a few days, my newest book releases into the world! I’d be so grateful if you would preorder a copy for yourself, for a friend, or to keep on hand for Christmas gifts. Be sure to hold onto your email receipt, because it will give you access to a free Online Bible Study {more details coming soon}.

On the More Than Small Talk podcast this week, we’re answering this question: If you were in a superhero movie would you rather be the superhero or the sidekick? I’d love to hear your answer! Join the MTST Facebook group and chime in, or click here to listen to Episode 42: Ever Feel Invisible?

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