Loving ourselves unconditionally

I am really good at tearing myself down. I am guilty of speaking negatively to myself. Regardless of what I do or how much I try, I still find fault with myself. In my mind, I think that I should have done more or tried harder. This type of mindset discourages me. And I’m sure some of you, who will read this today will be nodding your head and understanding exactly how this feels because you do it as well. 

But what if we all decided to be an encourager instead of a discourager? What if we decided right now to give ourselves some grace? And to love ourselves right where we are in our lives. 

When we are already discouraged when don’t need tough love and to be hard on ourselves. What we need are grace and love. Loving ourselves, right where we are in our lives, is one of the greatest things that we can do. We don’t have to wait for the next accomplishment to be proud of ourselves. Nor the next pat on the back from someone else. We can give ourselves the encouragement we so desperately need right now. 

Talking harshly to myself never motivates me. It just makes me feel worse. Then instead of doing better, I do worse. Learning to love me unconditionally is so powerful. Because I am going to fail. I am going to make bad decisions at times. I am going to have bad days and bad moments. The key is to love myself through it and talk to myself as I would the ones I love so dear. 

I would never say the things to my loved ones that I say to myself. Actually, it is not even me. All the negativity comes from my mind. And the enemy is in our minds. It’s the voice that chatters constantly. Have you ever stopped to listen to that voice? 

The negative voice is filled with doom and gloom and has a problem for my every solution. Therefore, when I am down I need to be encouraged by the truth. I am learning to replace the lies of my enemy with the truth of God’s word. Here are a few scriptures that help me when I am feeling down. 

Luke 18:27 (KJV)

27 And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.

John 14:27 (KJV)

27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Philippians 4:13 (KJV)

13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Joshua 1:9 (KJV)

9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

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I am the problem

I am the problem. 

The majority of my problems in life are caused by my thinking. When a thought pops into our minds we have two choices. We can either choose to dismiss it or to believe it. Depending on the thought, it will either make us feel good or bad. The bad news is that usually, we accept our thoughts as the truth without even analyzing them. 

I have been caught up in the lies many times. My mind is kind of like a toddler telling a story. Once it has my attention, the story continues to get bigger and bigger. And it is filled with drama. The story is always told from the victim mindset. 

When we feel hurt or angry by the story being crafted in our minds, then we need to examine it. Are the thoughts true? Do we know for certain each one is true? This is the tricky part because at the time it can certainly feel true. And we can feel justified for believing it. 

In my experience, I can tell you that my stories are very seldom true. Because the enemy always wants to take us to the worst case scenario. Satan wants to hurt us. He wants us to be mad at our loved ones. He wants us to turn away from those we love. He wants to steal our blessings. And sometimes we allow him to take them without a fight. 

One day I came home from work and my husband and son both snapped at me within minutes. I thought I shouldn’t have even come home today if they are going to be mean to me. Then, I realized that they were both having a bad day. It had absolutely nothing to do with me. So instead of fighting back, I became the safe space for them. I loved on them and tried to be there for them. 

The greatest thing we can do when we feel hurt is to go to God and ask Him to help us see the situation as it is—not how we perceive it to be. God knows the truth. And when we ask Him to reveal it to us He will. We might not always like the truth. Sometimes it does hurt our feelings and show us that we are wrong. But once we see the problem, then we can work to fix it. 

When we love people, right where they are in their lives, and give them the same grace that God gives us, then life is just better. I want to live from a place of compassion and have eyes to see the best in everyone. That’s how God sees us. He looks at us through the lens of love. Instead of condemning us for all of our mistakes, He sees the goodness in us. Every day I want to try to live in His perfect will for me and to treat others how He treats me.  

Romans 12:2 (KJV)

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

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I will praise my Lord

This morning as I was reading the first three chapters of Job, my heart sympathized with Job and all that he endured. While I’ve never suffered in the exact same way as Job, I have had enough sorrow to be able to relate to him. Especially when the heartaches stack upon each other and we can’t seem to catch our breath from one trial until another one comes. 

The one thing that he said, which really resonated with me was in these verses. 

Job 2:9-10 (KJV)

9 Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.

10 But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.

Do I really want to be the kind of person who only praises God when things are good in my life? Or do I want to be the kind of person who praises God during the good times and bad? 

Sometimes God has a hedge around us—protecting us from all pain. And sometimes He also allows us to experience some pain so that we can grow in Him. We can’t get stronger and grow as long as everything is going great in our lives. It takes the pain for us to truly seek Him in our hearts. 

So often we want our way. We want things to be as we want them to be. But sometimes, God has a different way—an even better way. When we can surrender it all to Him and trust Him to take care of us, then we can praise Him through the storms. 

Walking through the valleys and lying in the trenches is where I have truly discovered God’s love for me. I remember one night, after my surgery, being in so much pain that I couldn’t sleep. It felt unbearable to me. Then, I felt God. He wrapped me in His arms and I drifted off to sleep. He didn’t prevent me from being in pain, but He helped me to endure it. 

Therefore, I want to praise Him always. When my heart is overcome with joy and it is overcome with sorrow, either way, I will praise Him. 

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Fear not

The enemy is selling us fear and evil. Every day, in some way, we are reminded of the evil in this world. Satan wants this to be continually in our minds. He wants us to feel defeated. The more fear he can conjure up, the more we will focus on him. Our adversary wants us to fear him and to talk about him constantly. As long as we are talking about the evil in the world, then we are not talking about God’s goodness. 

When the enemy attacks and creates an abundance of fear, let’s go to God’s word. God tells us over and over in the scriptures to fear not. 

Isaiah 41:10-14 (KJV)

10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

11 Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish.

12 Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought.

13 For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.

14 Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

The battle is not ours. It is the Lord’s. I have to remind myself of this truth constantly. God is in control. He is still taking care of His people. At any given moment, my blessings exceed my heartaches. 

The greatest thing we can do for our country is to walk in God’s love. We need to be a voice of faith and encouragement. The Bible tells us that love can cover a multitude of sins. Therefore, we need to be a source of God’s love. 

On the days when I smile, pray for others, and radiate God’s love, then my day is so much better. I love to talk about Him and to tell of His greatness. He’s been so good to me. I just can’t put into words what my Lord means to me. When I feel Him stir in my soul, the joy is unexplainable. The Creator of the whole universe is my Father. And He loves me. That is what I want to focus on today. 

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What is important to you?

What is important to you?

Every once in a while, we need to pause in our lives and ask ourselves this question. Life is filled with so many things to distract us and to steal our attention. If we are not careful, we will end up focusing all of our attention on things that don’t really even matter. 

When I align my life according to the Bible, then everything goes better and just feels better.

1. God should be the very center of our lives. When I put Him first, then He helps me with all things. He teaches me how to live and to love. The more I read His word, the more that I love Him and His ways. Therefore, I make an effort to spend time with God each day. I want Him to lead me and to guide me according to His will. 
2. My family should come next. To me my family is everything. Every day I make time to spend with those I love. I go to my Mom and Dad’s house every Sunday and spend the day with my family. I wouldn’t trade these moments for anything in the world. Sunday is my favorite day of the week. 
3. Lastly, this is where my job comes in. I’ve been guilty of my putting my job before God and my family. However, that doesn’t work for me. It makes me miserable to put anything before my God. God knows that we need to work to provide for our families. He also knows when we desire Him or not. 

Not allowing anything to come in between me and God is hard. It takes a continual desire and effort. My flesh is weak. Therefore, it wants to go after things of the world. But, when I align my life according to my beliefs, then God blesses my efforts. He blesses my life in unexpected ways. Everything is more beautiful when we are close to the Lord. I can find joy in the smallest of things. But, when I am not aligned with Him nothing makes me happy. I complain about everything and see the world negatively. Therefore, if we truly want to find happiness in our lives, then we need to seek the Lord. He can teach us how to live joyfully and to love unconditionally. I love it when I can live with gratitude in my heart and thank my Lord for my life. It’s one thing to be blessed and another to feel blessed. 

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Lord, I will trust in you

Sometimes we don’t even know that it is happening to us. The enemy slips in one bad thought and then another until we are completely distraught. Once he weakens us, then he attacks. Yesterday, my mom gave me a good reminder. She told me to remember that all of my bad thoughts are not of God nor from Him. They are of the enemy. Once we recognize this it makes it easier to put him in his place. 

The moment that I went to God in prayer, with a humble heart, then He put the enemy in his place. Satan cannot stand against the cries of God’s children. When we began to pray, then he has to flee. 

I am so thankful that God fights my battles for me. This morning my mind is calm. While I don’t know what the day may bring, my God knows. And He already has a plan to help me. I can’t fix things. It’s the trying to fix it on my own that causes my distress. Honestly, I don’t have a clue what is best. But my God knows. Last night as I was journaling He reminded me of one of my favorite verses. 

Romans 8:28  (KJV)

28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

My favorite part of this scripture is all things. It all works for my good. So today, I will walk in this truth. Every time the devil tries to sweep me away with my negative thoughts, I am going to center my thoughts on God’s word and recall His beautiful promises. 

Scriptures to help me:

John 14:27  (KJV)

27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Luke 18:27  (KJV)

27 And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.

Proverbs 3:5  (KJV)

5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

Ephesians 6:13  (KJV)

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Joshua 1:9  (KJV)

9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

 P.S. If you enjoyed this please share it so your family and friends can read it as well. :) 

Choose to have a Godly perspective

It’s all about perspective. Two people can have the same circumstances and yet they can see the situation differently. We get to decide how we want to look at things. I choose to see things with compassion and gratitude.

I could look at my left hand and weep for the fingers that I am missing. But I choose to see my hand with a grateful heart. I am so thankful for my one finger and thumb on my left hand. And for all the things I am able to do with my hand. Someone, however, with a normal hand might see my hand with pity. While someone without a hand might see my hand as a blessing. It is all in how we decide to perceive it. 

Anytime we focus on our hardships, then we magnify them. The same is true, however, for our blessings. We need to be so careful with our thoughts. If we look the right way, we can always see some good in our days. Complaining about our life is one of our greatest addictions. At any time, however, we can change this about ourselves. We can choose to never complain again. We can ask God to give us the right perspective on every situation. And learn to be truly grateful for our lives. 

So often we allow others to control the way we see our life and our world. The news is filled with doom and gloom. Some people love the attention of being dramatic. They thrive on the fear of others. When we become fearful, then the enemy wins. I have turned off the noise. I don’t even have a television in my living room. I don’t watch the news or absorb the negativity from other people fighting constantly. Instead, I read encouraging books, listen to podcasts, and read my bible and pray. And, I try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. 

This is our lives, dear friends. God gave us all the freedom of choice. Therefore, we get to choose what we want our lives to be like. If you are miserable, then it doesn’t have to be that way. Don’t allow the things of the world to steal your peace. God is in control. He loves us unconditionally. Choose to see the good. Look for it at every moment. And then thank Him for it. I love the days when my gratitude is so great that it bubbles up inside of me and pours onto others. 

We can be a light or a stumbling block. But we can’t be both. We can complain about everything or we can praise the Lord. We can’t, however, do both. The good news is that we get to decide which one that we will be. What kind of person do you want to be? 

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