Today’s post is for all the girls who, like me, often wish they were a “better” whatever — you fill in the blank. If you haven’t read the previous entry in The Colossians Project, this one will make a lot more sense if you do.

In Colossians 1:9-10, Paul prays that Christians should “be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to

walk in a manner worthy of the Lord
fully pleasing to him
bearing fruit in every good work and
increasing in the knowledge of God.”

Whew.

I’m going to need a bigger knife and fork for that four course meal of demands. Live worthy of the Lord? Fully pleasing to God?

This list doesn’t feel like gospel; it feels like impossible.

But a closer look reveals something curious. Paul isn’t specifically praying these demands over us. He is praying instead that we be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in spiritual wisdom and understanding.

This impossible list that follows is simply the beautiful outcome of that answered prayer – the natural “so as to” results of a life lived resting in the will and desires and wisdom of the Lord and not of our own hearts.

This is the only manner we walk in that’s worthy of the Lord — the manner that realizes His will is what is worthy.

This is the way we live fully pleasing to God — by trusting His will and not our own.

This is the way we bear fruit in every good work — by acknowledging that the fruit is not our good works themselves, but the surrender of those works to be used as He wills.

This is our walk, this is our work, this is our fruit: to know and trust and proclaim that God’s will is at work in us and for us, at all times and in all of His spiritual wisdom and understanding.

And what is not our walk and our work? Doing everything well. God does not need us to do everything well. His strength is made perfect in weakness. He is far closer to the girl who’s fallen on her face than the one standing firm on her own two feet, because face-girl knows she needs Him.

So we are free to fall on our faces today — not to ruminate in pity on our failings or circumstances, which only increases knowledge of self.

We must use our time on our faces to worship the One who made a way for us. We must pray to be fully satisfied and filled up with His will.

Only then do we increase in the knowledge of the God who loves and saves, our gracious Father who reaches down His mighty hand to lift us up.

Read the next post in The Colossians Project.