What if the goal of your Christian life isn’t simply to become a better version of yourself?
We live in a world that is constantly telling us to improve. Become more productive. Build better habits. Work on yourself. Find your purpose. Become the best version of you.
Even in our spiritual lives, it can be easy to fall into the mindset that following Christ is primarily about doing more. Pray more. Read your Bible more. Serve more. Give more. Do more.
But the Christian life is ultimately about something much deeper than self-improvement or religious activity.
It is about union with Christ.
St. Paul writes,
“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” Galatians 2:20
The goal isn’t simply that we would know more about Christ or do more for Christ. It is that Christ would increasingly live and work within us. His love becomes our love. His humility shapes our character. His desires reshape our desires. His life begins to be reflected through ours.
This is part of what makes the life of St. Mary such a beautiful example for us. As Theotokos, the Mother of God, she carried Christ in a way no other person ever will. The eternal Son received true humanity from her. She bore Him, held Him, and presented Him to the world.
Yet her life also points us toward a profound truth about our own calling. We, too, are called to become dwelling places for God. We are called to receive Christ, allow Him to be formed within us, carry His presence, and reveal His life to the world.
So how do we make room for Christ?
1. Surrender your need for control
One of the biggest obstacles to making room for Christ is our insistence on being in charge.
We want to know how everything will work out. We want to control the outcome. We want our plans, our timing, and our expectations to be fulfilled.
But Christ cannot fill the places we refuse to surrender.
St. Mary gives us a beautiful picture of what surrendered trust looks like. When the angel announced God’s plan for her life, Mary didn’t have every detail figured out. She simply entrusted herself to God and said,
“Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word” Luke 1:38.
Making room for Christ begins with the same posture.
“Lord, I don’t need to control this. I trust You.”
That might mean surrendering a relationship, a decision, your timeline, your plans for the future, or even your expectations of how your life should look.
Ask yourself: What am I trying to control that God is asking me to surrender?
2. Quiet the noise
It is difficult to recognize the voice of God when our lives are constantly filled with noise.
Our phones are always within reach. There is always another notification, podcast, conversation, email, video, or task competing for our attention.
Sometimes we don’t need another spiritual resource. We simply need to become quiet enough to notice God’s presence.
Scripture repeatedly invites us into stillness. Psalm 46:10 says, “Cease striving and know that I am God.”
Making room for Christ may look very ordinary. Put your phone away. Sit in silence for a few minutes. Take a walk without listening to anything. Spend time in prayer without rushing to the next thing.
Silence creates space for us to listen.
St. Mary is often portrayed in Scripture as someone who received God’s work with a contemplative heart. After the shepherds shared what they had heard about Jesus…
“Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart” Luke 2:19
She didn’t need to immediately explain everything. She received, treasured, and pondered.
We can learn to do the same.
3. Let Scripture shape your inner life
If we want Christ to live in us, we need to allow His Word to take root in us.
“If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine” John 8:31.
The goal of Bible reading isn’t simply to finish another chapter or check something off our spiritual to-do list. Scripture forms our minds, corrects our desires, reveals God’s character, and teaches us how to recognize His voice.
Spend time in Scripture slowly enough to let it speak to you.
Ask:
- What does this passage reveal about God?
- What is it revealing about me?
- What is Christ inviting me to surrender, believe, or obey?
- What would it look like to live this truth today?
The more deeply God’s Word lives in us, the more naturally His truth begins to shape the way we live.
4. Surrender your pride
Christ fills what we are willing to empty.
That doesn’t mean we become less valuable or lose our personality. It means we surrender the parts of ourselves that insist on being our own center.
Our pride says, “I know best.” Christ teaches us humility.
Our pride says, “I deserve recognition.” Christ teaches us to serve.
Our pride says, “I need to prove myself.” Christ reminds us that our identity is already secure in Him.
St. John the Baptist expressed this beautifully:
“He must increase, but I must decrease.” John 3:30
That is not a call to think less of ourselves. It is a call to make Christ greater in our lives.
Every time we choose humility over recognition, obedience over convenience, forgiveness over resentment, or service over self-interest, we are making room for Christ.
5. Stop striving to earn what Christ has already given you
Sometimes our busyness comes from a good desire to serve God, but underneath it is a fear that we aren’t doing enough. We can become so focused on doing things for God that we forget to simply be with God. But Christianity isn’t a performance. We don’t have to earn God’s love through productivity. Jesus invites us into relationship with Him.
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28.
There will always be another thing to accomplish. Another ministry opportunity. Another Bible study. Another task.
But the question is not simply, “What am I doing for God?” A better question is, “Am I becoming more like Christ?”
Our activity should flow from communion with Him, not replace it.
6. Make your everyday life a place where Christ can dwell
Making room for Christ doesn’t only happen during quiet time, church, or prayer. It happens in the ordinary moments of your life. Christ can meet you in your kitchen, your workplace, your car, your parenting, your friendships, your responsibilities, and your interruptions. Invite Him into all of it.
Before beginning your day, pray, “Lord, live Your life through me today.” Before a difficult conversation, ask, “Jesus, how would You have me respond?” When you’re frustrated, pause and surrender your reaction to Him. When someone needs love, choose to see the moment as an opportunity to reveal Christ.
This is how Galatians 2:20 becomes more than a verse we admire. It becomes a way of life.
7. Ask what needs to decrease
Perhaps the simplest way to begin is to pray the question: “What within me must decrease so that the life of Christ may increase?”
Maybe it is your need for control.
Maybe it is your fear.
Maybe it is your constant distraction.
Maybe it is your desire for approval.
Maybe it is self-reliance.
Whatever the Lord brings to mind, don’t ignore it. Bring it to Him. Surrender it. Let Him transform it.
The goal isn’t to empty ourselves simply for the sake of being empty. We empty ourselves so that we can be filled with Christ.
St. Mary shows us what this looks like. Her life was marked by humility, surrender, obedience, silence, and receptivity. She made room for God, and Christ dwelt within her. We are not called to imitate Mary’s unique role as Theotokos. But we are called to imitate her posture of surrender.
We are called to receive Christ. To carry His presence. To allow Him to be formed within us. To become increasingly conformed to His image.
And ultimately, to say with St. Paul:
“It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.”
So today, don’t simply ask, “What more should I do?” Ask a deeper question: “Lord, what in me needs to decrease so that You can increase?” Then listen.
And whatever He reveals, surrender it to Him. Because the goal of the Christian life isn’t simply to do more for God. It is to become a person increasingly filled with God.
