Achieving, the Killer of Delight

This past week was killer: jam-packed from the early mornings to some late nights with work, grad school homework, small group, conversations, and prepping for our week-long vacation with my family in South Florida. Today, sitting in the Chicago airport, I cannot believe how we managed this busy schedule and didn’t get sick or back out of many commitments–God’s grace sustained us definitely. One of those graces is delight.

Have you ever taken the Strength Finders assessment? Strength Finders is a great tool to identify your strengths in hopes to help you maximize and operate in those strengths (as opposed to focusing your precious energy on your weaknesses). I have taken the assessment 3 times and each time two strengths have remained constant: learner and achiever. If you know me, you immediately know those are some of my biggest strengths. I completely embrace these strengths and try to maximize them constantly. But there’s an inherent problem with constantly applying my strength of Achiever, namely I never am satisfied; I never stop. And we–I–need to stop, to break, to delight.

The night before I had a 4-page paper due, 100 pages left to read for that paper, and needed to finalize some testing and code-writing for a work project with a deadline all this week, I hit my tipping point: either fry my brain and get this all done, or break away and take care of my soul.

There was an intense battle between achieving and delighting within me for15 minutes, which felt like 15 hours of feverish sleep. Then I realized: my drive to achieve and get my checklist done is killing my need to stop, to take joy in the journey, to nurture my soul, to delight myself in God in order to remain connected to his work remaining for the rest of the week.

I did the unthinkable. I put everything away. I turned everything off. I chose to delight myself in where I find God. I refreshed my heart, mind, and body rather than complete my tasks.

It was the best decision I made.

I laced up my Asics and went for a run, unplugged and I saw the most beautiful sunset I’ve seen all summer.

I read a new book I just received from the library on my hero, C.S. Lewis.

I sat on our balcony and watched the clouds cover the massive skies with their majestic forms while sipping iced tea.

I listened to my favorite album ever: Illuminate.

Why didn’t I understand this before? I asked myself. Achieving was killing my delight in the journey. Achieving was threatening my identity in Christ.

I encourage you to take a break from achieving and spend that time to delight in God. Take joy in your journey. There’s no better use of your time! Share some of the things where you are able to delight in God below, and share some tips that you find helpful in maintaining a balance between doing and being.

Even if my heart fails.

A few weeks ago Minneapolis had a tornado warning. Three actually, all in the same afternoon. (For those of you oblivious to weather, that means a tornado will almost definitely form. And cause destruction. And death. Tornado warning=not good). This was the first time I was away from my wife when there was imminent danger and I was helpless to protect her (Not like I could do much to a tornado anyway).

We’ve been married for over a year now (413 days today, but who’s counting?) and it’s been one of the greatest years of my life. And even though it’s only been a relatively short time being her husband, I couldn’t imagine what life would be like without her. I wouldn’t know what to do without her. Before I get too sentimental here, my point isn’t how awesome marriage is–I’ll save that for another day. Even though it’s been the best year of my life, we’ve had challenges too. Issues we’ve had to work out. Past wounds we’ve had to open up for Christ to heal. Circumstances that are ugly. We’ve had friends close to us lose parents, go through intense family struggles, financial hardships, still-born children, miscarriages–it’s been a trying year. But God isn’t distant, he’s here. He’s a very real presence.

But God (my favorite words ever).

All throughout the hard times God continually draws me to the truths of who he is, and his great love for us:

Nevertheless, I am contiually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? and there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:23-28 (emphasis mine).

Though our flesh and hearts may fail, God is our strength and portion, forever.

Though everything seems impossible, God does the impossible.

Even through still-born children.

Even through divorce of parents.

Even through tornados. God is our strength and portion. Forever and ever.

Maybe you can identify with some of these situations. Maybe you can identify with the hopelessness of life the psalmist paints for us. I hope this truth I’ve shared encourages you. Lifts you up. I would also recommend that you check out this phenomenal song by KB, an up and coming Reach Record rapper, about these very verses in this Psalm. It’s beyond legit and a current favorite in the Dembeck household.