Do Your Best and Commit the Rest

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Earlier this week I was feeling discouraged wondering how I could possibly do all of the things I’m supposed to do. Then I remembered Chuck Smith’s saying: “Do your best and commit the rest”.

I was suddenly a lot more peaceful as I realised I only need to do my best – I don’t need to be perfect. I can stop worrying about whether I get everything done, and just do the best I can!

Sometimes when I take my son Caleb to swimming lessons, I encourage him beforehand to listen to the teacher, and to try and swim without floats. Then sometimes he says to me anxiously, “But I can’t do it very well!” So I have started telling him, “Just do your best, that’s all that matters.”

It is very freeing for him and for me to remember that. We get discouraged when we don’t do well, or when others do better, but if we are doing our best then that is what matters – we can’t do more than that anyway, so there’s no point worrying about it!

Once we have done all we can, then we leave the rest to God, and pray and trust Him that He will work it out. We are weak, but we live by God’s power; so we need to walk by faith, in prayerful dependence on His strength.

Do your best:

And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men Col 3:23

Commit the rest:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Prov 3:5-6

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5 Responses

  1. Anita Mathias says:
    26 September, 2011 at 8:37 am

    Thanks Rhoda. It also helps me to remember that God will never give me more to do than I can do. So, if I am exhausted or overwhelmed, it’s possible that I am taking on things which God never intended me to do, or to do right now.

  2. Red says:
    26 September, 2011 at 1:53 pm

    Like the post Rhoda. Something I need to keep reminding myself. I think I am a bit of a perfectionist, and it’s hard to overconme that and remember to just do my best!
    redx

  3. Rhoda says:
    26 September, 2011 at 8:51 pm

    Thanks Anita, that is so true! I have a quote from Charles Stanley saying that stuck above my desk 🙂 And it’s so easy to take on more than we are supposed to.

    red I also tend towards perfectionism in some things. I think it’s hard sometimes to get the right balance – it’s good to aim high, but at the same time we shouldn’t beat ourselves up if we’re not perfect!

  4. Kelli says:
    30 September, 2011 at 4:56 am

    Just found your blog. Such an awesome reminder. I am a bit of a perfectionist and tend to require that from my daughter when we school 🙁 God has really been working on that in my life.

  5. Rhoda says:
    30 September, 2011 at 8:26 pm

    Hi Kelli, thank you for visiting! Homeschooling is tricky with trying to get the balance between helping them to aim high and yet not pushing too hard!