No Pressure (should following Jesus be impossibly hard?)

Kent Murawski

If you feel like following Jesus is impossibly hard, that’s not a bad thing because without Him, it is! Following Jesus was never meant to be lived apart from Him. It wasn’t even meant to be lived “for” Him but rather with Him. Attempting to follow Jesus apart from Him will wear you down. Eventually, you will drop out and quit. But when we abide in Jesus and stay connected to the Vine, we receive His grace and empowerment to walk with Him. Following Jesus then moves from burden to joy, from striving to resting, and from powerlessness to empowerment. I know because I’ve tried it both ways!

Image by Daniel Go via Flickr

 

Is abiding simply obeying His commands? Yes and no. Thing is, without a vibrant, dynamic, life-giving relationship, cultivated by spending time together (another aspect of abiding), His commands can easily become rules to be followed rather than loving boundaries that bring life and fulfillment.


His commands can easily become rules to be followed rather than loving boundaries that bring life and fulfillment.
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But when the vertical exchange of receiving His love and loving Him back happens, 1 John 5:3 kicks into action,

Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. (1 John 5:3 NLT)

Jesus is our example

Jesus said,

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Matt. 11:28-29 NIV)

That doesn’t sound hard to me. It sounds to me like Jesus wants us to exchange our burdens for His rest. What a deal! Which part of “My yoke is easy and my burden is light” sounds hard?

Here’s another one:

So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. (John 5:19 NLT)

As followers of His, we are being molded and conformed into the image of Christ. He is our example. We seek to emulate Him with His help! So I ask you, Are you doing “only what you see the Father doing?” Do you know what He is doing in you and around you ? How do you find out what He is doing? Jesus was constantly discerning what the Father was doing through prayer and minute-by-minute relationship. It’s called abiding. Every moment, Jesus saw what the Father was doing and did likewise.

And before you write it off by saying, “Yeah, but that was Jesus,” consider this statement made by Jesus Himself:  

“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. 13 You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. 14 Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it! (John 14:12 NLT)


Can we really do the same works Jesus did?
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He didn’t say this in order to create more pressure for us. I want to be more like Jesus, and I know you do too.

Do what Jesus is doing…

Start by taking some time to be with Jesus and ask Him the question, “What are you doing right now? How about today? What are you doing in me and around me? How can I join you, Jesus? Then wait for Him to answer. When He does, ask Him to empower you, and obey! He may speak through a Scripture, a picture, or a whisper. Here are some examples of what God could say:

  • I am molding you into My image
  • Love your wife by doing the dishes
  • Encourage Sue at work today
  • Give your daughter an extra long hug
  • I am encouraging you today and giving you peace
  • Sit with Me an extra five minutes this morning
  • Start reading your Bible every day
  • Forgive Jim for what He did to you
  • Reach out to Denise and ask her forgiveness for offending her
  • Propose this idea to your boss…

The possibilities are endless, and here’s the promise. Whatever God asks of you, He will give you the power to do it.

Could following Jesus really be that simple? Yes and no. It may not always be easy to do what He asks, but know this – He will always give you the power to do it! So stop putting pressure on yourself to do what He is not doing. It’s not your responsibility to save the world. It’s your responsibility to walk with Him and obey.

When you are faced with a choice or a decision, put it to prayer and ask Him what He’s doing. Is He asking you to step into it? Then do it and you will have the power to go with it! If not, dismiss it and move on. And if He doesn’t give you an immediate answer then wait. If a decision must be made, do your best to make decision using Biblical wisdom, prayer, and wise counsel.

So take the pressure off yourself. Discard the burdens. Find out what He is doing, and only do what you see Him doing. Go ahead, try it!

PS – Here is a message I shared after a year of practicing John 5:19. I apologize in advance for the poor audio quality. We had technical difficulties that day=). A John 5:19 Moment.

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By Kent Murawski July 28, 2025
When was the last time you ended a summer feeling more energized than when it started? ​​Summer brings changes for many of us—minimizing our motivation to work, disrupting work routines, and altering schedules. With summertime often comes a desire to slow down, and yet, we're not always sure how to do that. This week is my last new post for a little while (though I may resend some popular posts from the 2024-2025 season). I’m pressing pause to create space and pour my energy into finishing my new book. But stay tuned—when I’m back in six weeks, the newsletter will be refreshed with some exciting updates you won’t want to miss! Read to the end to find out more. In this week's edition of Catalyst, I want to share 3 ideas to help you effectively navigate summer. 3 Ways to Master Summer Without Burning Out 1) Stop and Think (Reflect) Socrates famously said, "The unexamined life is not worth living." For Socrates, life was more than pursuing the things that most men occupy themselves with, things like wealth, household affairs, status and position, and political clubs and factions. He believed that life only has value and meaning when we question what we think and know, and by more deeply understanding ourselves and others. The beginning of summer is an ideal time for reflection, and we all tend to occupy ourselves with the things Socrates talked about more than we probably care to admit. Taking a reflection day at the end of each quarter (consider removing "or trimester" for conciseness) can be an effective way to navigate seasonal changes. Finding a place far enough removed from your normal day-to-day life will help you get into a different headspace. A friend of mine often says: Change of pace + change of place = change of perspective. I've used hotels, monasteries, or even a beautiful outdoor location if the weather permits. Here are a few questions you might want to ask: How am I feeling spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically? How are my closest relationships doing? Am I living out my core values? Is my life moving in a direction I feel good about? What do I need to change or adjust? Here are a few ideas for how to conduct a reflection day: Prayer, meditation, or silence Review your biggest wins and assess your goals from the previous quarter Work on high-impact projects that require focus Preview the upcoming quarter and set your Big 3 goals: personal, marriage/family, work/business 2) Cut the Non-Essentials (Reevaluate) Both my wife and I work, so when summer arrives, we need to re-evaluate our schedules to accommodate our twelve-year-old son. In the past, I've made the mistake of trying to keep the same workload despite being home with him two days a week. I ended up frustrated all summer long, living in the tension of wanting to spend more time with him while trying to carry the same workload. Summer requires me to pare down my work roles to the essentials: Writing (currently working on a new book) Executive coaching (6-8 coaching clients) Relationship building and outreach Necessary administration (keeping this to 30% or less of my responsibilities) Moving forward, I will probably keep things this way. It feels more sustainable than the unrealistic expectations I previously held myself to. Once you define your key roles and responsibilities, the question becomes how to achieve better work-life integration not work-life balance. I use the Big 3 System. Choose only three big things to focus on at one time—quarterly, weekly, and daily. That's right, just three. Those three things are usually a combination of personal, marriage/family, and work. Each quarter, I typically choose 1 personal goal, 1 marriage and family goal, and 1-3 work goals, depending on the quarter. Here are a few questions to consider. If you have a partner, discuss them together: How does your schedule change in the summer? What work-related responsibilities and expectations do you need to adjust? What are 3 things you want to do this summer? What do you NOT want to do? 3) Choose What Matters Most (Rest) Paring down expectations isn't only for work, it applies to rest, too. Because it's summer, there is the temptation to want to fit in everything (—vacation, visit family, trips, fun, etc). In the past, we would try to do so much that by the time fall rolled around, we were exhausted. Last year, out of necessity, we planned a staycation instead of going away. It was one of the best vacations we've had in a long time. And besides, summers in New England are gorgeous! We went to see a movie, ate out, went to Six Flags, had a beach day, and took days in between just to relax. We loved it so much, we're doing a staycation again this year! Write down your list of summer expectations and plans. Now, cross out everything that feels exhausting and unfun. Don't try to fit everything in this summer. Pick a couple of things that feel life-giving and focus on those. Your Move Reflect. Re-evaluate. Rest. Choose one of the three and work on it in the next 24 hours. Plan a day of reflection. Have a conversation with your spouse. Choose how you're going to rest this summer. I don't care which one it is, just take action. Here’s one question to consider: What would you stop doing this summer if no one was watching? Most people think summer is about maximizing experiences and fitting everything in, but the truth is that the most productive leaders use summer to strategically subtract, not add. They understand that rest isn't what you do after the work is done—it's what makes the work sustainable in the first place. You've got this.
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For Socrates, life was more than pursuing the things that most men occupy themselves with, things like wealth, household affairs, status and position, and political clubs and factions. He believed that life only has value and meaning when we question what we think and know, and by more deeply understanding ourselves and others. The beginning of summer is an ideal time for reflection, and we all tend to occupy ourselves with the things Socrates talked about more than we probably care to admit. Taking a reflection day at the end of each quarter (consider removing "or trimester" for conciseness) can be an effective way to navigate seasonal changes. Finding a place far enough removed from your normal day-to-day life will help you get into a different headspace. A friend of mine often says: Change of pace + change of place = change of perspective. I've used hotels, monasteries, or even a beautiful outdoor location if the weather permits. Here are a few questions you might want to ask: How am I feeling spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically? How are my closest relationships doing? Am I living out my core values? Is my life moving in a direction I feel good about? What do I need to change or adjust? Here are a few ideas for how to conduct a reflection day: Prayer, meditation, or silence Review your biggest wins and assess your goals from the previous quarter Work on high-impact projects that require focus Preview the upcoming quarter and set your Big 3 goals: personal, marriage/family, work/business 2) Cut the Non-Essentials (Reevaluate) Both my wife and I work, so when summer arrives, we need to re-evaluate our schedules to accommodate our twelve-year-old son. In the past, I've made the mistake of trying to keep the same workload despite being home with him two days a week. I ended up frustrated all summer long, living in the tension of wanting to spend more time with him while trying to carry the same workload. Summer requires me to pare down my work roles to the essentials: Writing (currently working on a new book) Executive coaching (6-8 coaching clients) Relationship building and outreach Necessary administration (keeping this to 30% or less of my responsibilities) Moving forward, I will probably keep things this way. It feels more sustainable than the unrealistic expectations I previously held myself to. Once you define your key roles and responsibilities, the question becomes how to achieve better work-life integration not work-life balance. I use the Big 3 System. Choose only three big things to focus on at one time—quarterly, weekly, and daily. That's right, just three. Those three things are usually a combination of personal, marriage/family, and work. 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We went to see a movie, ate out, went to Six Flags, had a beach day, and took days in between just to relax. We loved it so much, we're doing a staycation again this year! Write down your list of summer expectations and plans. Now, cross out everything that feels exhausting and unfun. Don't try to fit everything in this summer. Pick a couple of things that feel life-giving and focus on those. Your Move Reflect. Re-evaluate. Rest. Choose one of the three and work on it in the next 24 hours. Plan a day of reflection. Have a conversation with your spouse. Choose how you're going to rest this summer. I don't care which one it is, just take action. Here’s one question to consider: What would you stop doing this summer if no one was watching? Most people think summer is about maximizing experiences and fitting everything in, but the truth is that the most productive leaders use summer to strategically subtract, not add. They understand that rest isn't what you do after the work is done—it's what makes the work sustainable in the first place. You've got this.
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