A Simple Title
What titles do you wear?
Verse of the Day
‘Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker,’
Today’s Devotional
I read many things in both my personal time with God and for my study to write for this website. I read something last week that has stuck with me. As in, I have thought about it every single day since I read it. And the day I read it, I really needed it.
Before I share it with you, I want you to think about what titles you wear. Each one of us probably has many titles: mom, dad, worker, boss, manager, friend, daughter, son, confidant, accountant, salesperson, technology expert, sports fan, introvert, extrovert… the list is endless. So what titles fit you?
Holley Gerth is a writer, author, and blogger. Her story below caught me off guard, caught my attention, changed my perspective, and allowed me to take a deep breath. Here’s what she said about our titles:
“I’m tired,” I confess to friends over lunch one day.
“What’s going on?” they ask.
“I don’t really know,” I say as I shrug.
That night I pull out my art journal, plug headphones into my ears, and grab a marker. I want to think through my life and especially my work. I begin to put “writer” at the top of the page, because that’s my title. But as I lean toward the paper, I feel a sense of hesitation and I silently ask God, What do you want me to write in that spot?
I hear one word in response: worshiper.
Suddenly I know why I’m so exhausted. I’ve switched from being a worshiper to a worker. This isn’t the first time it’s happened. Throughout my life when I feel pressure mounting and expectations building, I tend to have one response: try harder.
Yes, I should have caught on to that pattern by now. But I’m a bit of a slow learner in this area it seems.
Maybe you have one of those areas in your life too? Thankfully, we serve a God of grace. A God who chases us down right in the middle of all our wild and weary running. A God who speaks life and peace and rest into us. A God who wants our hearts more than our hands.
I look back down at my journal and instead of writing “writer” or “worker”, I slowly spell out w–o–r–s–h–i–p–e–r.
A sense of peace now washes over me. Even if the world around us keeps unavoidably spinning—the toddlers keep throwing cereal, the projects keep coming, the calendar keeps filling—we can wrap our fingers around peace in a way that truly does pass understanding. And we can let go of all we’ve grasped that was never meant for us.
I fill the page with words and prayers. Then I set down my pen. And when I lay my head on the pillow that night, I feel different. Not so weary and afraid. Quieter inside. More like a worshiper and less like a worker.
I resonate with every word that Holley wrote. Why do I forget so easily that I am created to worship? And that in taking the time and space to simply worship God, everything else will fall into place. Because He promises that it will. That doesn’t mean it will be easy or that the outcome will be what I would choose, but my heart posture toward everything will be different, because my eyes will be focused on Him.
Lord, may we be worshipers first, before we take one step toward doing any of our work. As we worship you, teach us how to worship and praise you WHILE we do whatever work you have invited us to do today.
Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
What is your response?
Do you wear other titles above being a worshiper of God? If so, what do you need to do about it?
How does being a worshiper of God allow you to seek His Kingdom?
How does it feel to loosen your grip on any other titles you wear?
To see Holley Gerth’s books, click here.