Why are we so resistant to what God wants for us?
God IS goodness Itself and expresses only goodness
Sometimes it seems like there is a heavy weight we bear, dragging it around with us no matter what the cost physically, emotionally, morally, and even financially. The heavy weight is "I'll do it myself." We are problem solvers, fixers, doers. Yet at the same time is this innate inkling that there's something divine tugging at our hearts, impelling us like constant gravity to drop it all and just trust.
Stop trying to do and just be
Why does it feel so difficult to just be? One of the reasons I find this challenging is because of my culture as an American. Productivity can be seen to have a very limited definition--everything we "do" we should have something to show for it. Time is money. I spent years doing the math on how much money I would need to generate every hour to live a "free" and "happy" life. Writing it out now I can see how ludicrous that is. Can you imagine the sun trying to do the math on its emanating, how much it needs to shine to grow a flower or provide a good napping spot for a kitten? And then, inevitably, feel guilty for not shining hard enough? Of course, the sun just shines. But here on earth, we impose all kinds of limits on that effulgence and try to live by the limits, then wonder why we feel so perpetually shackled in the shadows.
Light just IS
The Bible frequently likens God to the sun. Mary Baker Eddy, in her spiritual interpretation of the Bible's universal message of grace and salvation (published as a textbook available to all), wrote, "God, Spirit, dwelling in infinite light and harmony from which emanates the true idea, is never reflected by aught but the good" (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 503:28). Look at all those "light" words, unshackled by made-up limitations. God shines His own goodness and that constitutes the entirety of creation. How could we possibly change or improve it?
That false conviction that we have to "do it ourselves" could come from two mistaken standpoints:
There is no higher power so we are on our own;
There IS a higher power, but to approach it, we must be humanly perfect first.
You shine
Neither standpoint holds up mathematically (scientifically, or in Christian reasoning). The higher power is Love, always emanating like the sun, and we are individual rays of light. We reflect the light called Christ. That Christ light is known in the Scriptures as the Word of God. Word (in Greek, logos) is how God is expressed, and since it is like light, it is emanating constantly, on all, and not subject to darkness.
We don't ever have to doubt that light always overcomes darkness; God's word, Christ, always overcomes our limited sense of worthiness and goodness.
"To fear sin is to misunderstand the power of Love and the divine Science of being in man's relation to God, — to doubt His government and distrust His omnipotent care."
– Science and Health 231:21–25
God's will
If we believe that God's will is anything other than LOVE, we will be tentative in our approach, may even think we have to prove ourselves before we go to Him. But God's will is simply to be manifest, everywhere, through everyone, at every instant. "The thing which [LOVE] has spoken is good for us to do," we are assured in Deuteronomy (a book of law). Then we never need to be concerned about trusting wholeheartedly, dropping our own agenda, ability, and limitation. It's easy to see why the perfect manifestation of Christ, Jesus, said, "I can of mine own self do nothing." The man who walked on water, fed multitudes (repeatedly), raised others and himself from death, said that he could do nothing on his own. Just what is it that we think we can do better than Jesus? *spit take*
Every problem solved
Every problem, whether it's physical, financial, emotional, mental, big, small, ongoing, or suddenly out of nowhere can be solved by trusting the divine. Because every problem is a shadow that flees when subject to light. Trusting God, Love, is turning a light on our problems. Stop trying to scrub away the shadows, using all that elbow grease, and yield to the light, God's word. As Love itself, Love wills only good for you. What we are asked "to do" is for His glory, to express Him, not to prove ourselves. Then without fear, reluctance, doubt, or your own limited sense of human will, let your life be the emanation of Love this Christmas and every day and see how it is good for us to do and be His word.