Saved to BE: When Chronic Illness Limits Your DO

Do you ever wish you could do more? 

I know I do.

Specifically in ministry — reaching out to people, helping in church, mentoring, teaching, cooking, giving rides, and the list goes on. 

I wish I could do everything for everyone, but I’m limited, and on my bad days I find I can barely do anything for myself, let alone anyone else.

And it grieves me, because I want to DO.

But here’s a thought God used to challenge me recently: He ultimately didn’t save me to DO, He saved me to BE — to be redeemed, to be a daughter in His family, to be loved, to be sanctified. 

Let’s take a step back and ask, Why did God save me? So I could be like Christ. And who does the work of making me like Christ? The Holy Spirit. (So hands off, sister!)

God didn’t save us for what we could do for Him. He saved us because He loves us and wants us to know that love.

Of course God also wants us to put action to our faith as we serve Him and others. The Bible makes it clear that “faith without works is dead” (James 2:26) and we are “created in Christ Jesus for good works” (Eph 2:26).

But like with many truths of Scripture, let’s not focus on one truth to the exclusion of the other.

Let’s not get so caught up in the DOING of Christianity that we lose sight of the BEING.

Here is a scene from the movie Overcomer that demonstrates the power of knowing who we ARE in Christ:

Like the main character, we can turn to Scripture — Ephesians 1 in particular — to remind ourselves of who we are in Christ: 

• I am blessed (vs 3)
• I am chosen (vs 4)
• I am holy (vs 4)
• I am blameless (vs 4)
• I am adopted (vs 4)
• I am accepted (vs 6)
• I am redeemed (vs 7)
• I am forgiven (vs 7)
• I am rich (vs 7)
• I am an heir (vs 11)
• I am sealed (vs 13)
• and so much more.

Next time you feel discouraged about all the good things you can’t do, remember that your worth is not determined by what you do. Instead, start counting all the blessings of who you are! 

If you’re fighting discouragement about your abilities, maybe even your identity, bring a notebook and pen to your Bible reading and write down everything you find about your identity in Christ. Keep this list nearby to remind you of who you ARE no matter what you can or can’t DO.