Why Abiding Is Better Than Striving

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. -Matthew 11:28–30

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. -John 15:5

This summer I’ve taken more naps than I ever did during the school year! Our family has been walking through a hard, difficult summer, and so my body has demanded that I rest. For so many moms (and women in general) summertime can be filled with pressure. We feel the push to do more, be more, and simply “make the most out of summertime.” 

When my children were little summer had little to do with rest and was all about doing, going, and striving. This summer, because of the emotional and spiritual weariness that is the trial we are walking through, I’ve had to physically spend time resting. 

I get up early, as I did during the school year, to have quiet moments with God and drink my coffee. My children, who are all older now, sleep in (Praise God). So I have more time to sip and reflect and abide. 

Working my way through the book of Joshua and the Book of Psalms, I’ve come to see that God often works best when we stop working. The Israelites had to trust God for each victory and in Psalm 62 waiting can be a time of restoration. 

Why Abiding Is Better Than Striving

For this summer of abiding, we read in John 15 Jesus encouraged His disciples to “Abide in me.” The word abide, as we have seen, is not necessarily a passive word but it does not mean we are constantly active. 

“Entering God’s rest means ceasing from self-effort and surrendering in faith to God’s working.” – Andrew Murray

There is a key word here: surrender. But surrender is not a passive thing. It is an active choice we make every single day. We don’t surrender because we’ve given up. We surrender because we trust the One we are abiding in.

I’ve found this to be especially true during seasons of heartache. When life falls apart, my instinct is to work harder, fix the problem, or somehow become a “better Christian.” Yet Jesus doesn’t invite us to do more. He invites us to remain.

If abiding in Christ is your aim this summer, then surrender is the pathway.

So what do we surrender?

• Surrender your schedule. Instead of letting busyness dictate your day, invite Jesus into your ordinary routines. (Psalm 90:14; John 15:4)
• Surrender your expectations. Life rarely unfolds the way we planned, but God is still working through every unexpected turn. (Proverbs 3:5-6; Isaiah 55:8-9)
• Surrender your need for control. We often exhaust ourselves trying to manage outcomes that only God can hold. (Psalm 46:10; 1 Peter 5:7)
• Surrender your fears. Anxiety grows when we cling tightly to tomorrow. Peace grows when we entrust tomorrow to Christ. (Isaiah 26:3; Philippians 4:6-7)
• Surrender your disappointments. Bring your grief, questions, and unmet hopes to Jesus instead of carrying them alone. (Psalm 62:8; Psalm 13)
• Surrender your distractions. Every day offers countless invitations to drift away from Christ. Choose instead to return your attention to Him again and again. (Luke 10:41-42; Hebrews 12:1-2)
• Surrender your strength. Abiding means recognizing that fruit is produced by the Vine, not by the branches. (John 15:5; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
• Surrender today. Jesus never asks us to abide for the next ten years. He simply invites us to remain with Him today. (Matthew 6:34; Lamentations 3:22-23)

Throughout this summer, we’ll keep coming back to this simple truth: abiding is less about adding another spiritual task to your list and more about continually surrendering your heart to Christ. Every ordinary day. Every difficult season. Every joyful moment. We remain because He remains faithful.

After surrendering your schedule, fears, expectations, and control, David gives the final invitation: pour out your heart.

“Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before him. God is our refuge.” Psalm 62:8

David understood this kind of surrender. In Psalm 62 he doesn’t tell us to work harder or become stronger. Instead, he says, “Rest in God alone, my soul, for my hope comes from him” (Psalm 62:5, CSB). The word rest carries the same heart as abiding. It is the quiet confidence that God is enough. We surrender our plans, fears, disappointments, and striving because our hope isn’t found in ourselves—it is found in Christ. As we learn to abide this summer, may we return to Psalm 62 again and again, allowing our souls to find their rest in Him alone.

Take a moment to listen to the Psalm 62 episode here on the podcast, Psalms to Help You Sleep.