I Should…

I should really be doing something productive.

I should really give her a call back.

I should really make that appointment.

I should really stop daydreaming.

I should really do so very many things, but most of all, I should probably stop dwelling so much on the “I shoulds.”

Perhaps you know what I mean, and you’ve found yourself living a refrain of trying to get on to the next thing and to keep up with the pace.

When we’re here, sighing over “shoulds” that overwhelm, our brain space ends up reading more like a to-do list than an ongoing conversation with God. We spend less time listening to God, and more time just asking him to help us get enough done today.

The words of Jesus in Luke 10:42 strike a chord when the shoulds start to drive our days.

“Only one thing is necessary.” 

Jesus spoke these words to Martha when she was worried about many things, including a good thing: serving Jesus a meal. She was missing out on fellowship with Him trying to do something for Him. She mixed up all the matters of life with what matters most.

We forget so easily.

Our living, active, personal relationship with Jesus is all we need when it comes down to it. All those other shoulds shouldn’t keep us from the throne of grace.

This sentiment of “only one thing is necessary” is echoed throughout the Bible.

For example, In 2 Peter 1:3 the apostle Peter explains that we have “everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.”

Talking about worries and basic needs in life – even things like food and shelter – Jesus says “Your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:32-33).

We struggle to reconcile the practical “shoulds” that have us sighing and the truth that our Lord is all that’s necessary. But God’s Word is true, even in statements like these that seem entirely unrealistic. 

When we feel like it’s going to fall apart if we don’t get on with all the things we should do, the truth is All things hold together in Him (Colossians 1:17). The truth is that the God of the Universe, the Savior of the World, can keep up when we can’t. His power is enough to keep the world spinning while we rest. His grace is enough when our plans fall out of place. He can remind us to call her back, and He can perfectly time that appointment we think we’ve waited too long to book.

Whatever our “shoulds”, the I AM supercedes them. God with us means peace can be present, no matter what.

So if we’re only hearing “I should” on replay in our busy brains, we do well to pause and remember “I need” instead. We need Him. And He gives us everything we need. 

However much depends on us, we can always and entirely depend on God. 

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