Ben and I were talking about our children and their need for discipline and love in their lives.  In talking we realized that too often we make the offense be about something other than the heart issue. It becomes something that offends us or our “rules.”  The kids can pretty quickly pick up on what the rules are and follow those in order to hinder further discipline.

What we realized in the way we had begun to approach these issues was that we were creating children who were good at figuring out the rules and following them to make their lives easier, but we did not have children who were facing their sin and dealing with it in the appropriate way.

We do the very same thing in our relationship with God. We’ve figured out what makes our lives look together and healthy.  We come up with rules and solutions so that we can make sure we check off the right boxes so that we are deemed “good” or even “Christian” people. The thing is that you can only go so far doing that before you simply snap. You can’t handle the weight of every area of your life being on you, so eventually you just snap.

The only thing that prevents that from happening is making Jesus our source in every aspect of our lives. Too often he is an afterthought when we can’t figure out how to do it ourselves. Instead, He should be our source. He should be who we look to for every aspect of our lives. He should be the center of all that we do. When He is, we are not bearing the load, He is!

This is such a simple foundation of Christian living, but it is one that too often gets thrown to the side. We do all the things that look and seem good, but we don’t always ask God what the best thing is. What is the thing that he is requiring of us? When we do that and only that we won’t burn out, even if it is more than we are doing now! I know that sounds crazy, but it is true that when we walk in obedience to what God has for us HE will provide what we need to do that.

So, for me when I get bogged down in the everyday stuff, I need to remember that Jesus needs to be my source. When I start out the day with Him and praying for my children, they don’t stress me out so much and I am able to walk in a place of peace even when it looks like things are falling all around me. So, I guess the question is if God isn’t your source then who or what is?

Heather Cotten

Heather Cotten is a wife and mom of three, and most importantly a child of God. She loves more than anything to see people build relationships and break down barriers that prevent those relationships from happening. The family moved to to Kernersville, NC 3 years ago in order to begin the adventure of Ben pastoring Kernersville Community Church.