Tag: self-care

Got Grace?

While we strive to have “Fierce Faith,” we know there may be some off-days ahead. Days where you are tired, sad, restless, anxious – just not feeling yourself. And despite our unprecedented pandemic circumstances, you can be tough on yourself.

I don’t know about you, but I’m a world-class champ when it comes to beating up on myself. I’m definitely harder on myself than I am on anyone else. So, on the days when I fall a little, where I’m anxious or restless, or even flat-out angry, I need to remember one word: GRACE.

We are all going through difficult times right now, and although most of us have been shelter-in-place for a bout a month now, there’s still this sense of no routine, of being off-kilter. The world hasn’t righted itself and we still don’t have a complete sense of normalcy, or what a “new” normal might look like.

Currently, I’m trudging along day-to-day, but everything feels “off.” There’s a sense of uncertainty in the air, and it’s uncomfortable, at best. So, yes, we’re going to have bad days, that’s a given. We’ll have mood swings for no apparent reason, and maybe even take out those moods on our spouse or family.

But that’s where our daily prayer time can come in – just a moment or two of quiet time (I know, those of you with small kids will find this nearly impossible). We need to take time daily to center ourselves, and every day we need to extend GRACE, not only to others, but to ourselves.

These are strange days, and our emotions may surprise us or get the better of us. Just let it go (yes, I’ve watched “Frozen” one too many times with my granddaughters!). Extend grace to others, but mostly to yourself. Take a deep breath and begin again.

 

How Are You Talking To Yourself? (Video plus text)

The link below is to a video about how we talk to ourselves, whether we’re negative or positive.  If you don’t have a few minutes to watch the video, the text of it is also below.

Video Link: How Are You Talking To Yourself?

Video Text:

There’s a subject that keeps coming up in different ways and I think it’s time to talk about it. We’re a culture these days of  “It’s all about the outside”. Women are striving to have a youthful appearance, have the perfect hair and the perfect body. Men don’t want to be balding or have the beer belly paunch. There’s nothing wrong with looking the best we can. But when we start obsessing over it, I think that’s where it can lead to trouble.

Let me ask you a question: How do you talk to yourself? When you look in the mirror in the morning, are you making a face? Are you beating up on yourself for not having perfect hair or, being the perfect weight? Are you chiding yourself because those pants don’t fit any more? Look at these lines on my forehead!

Listen to your words. Are you in a cycle of negativity about how you speak to yourself, and about how you see yourself? Are you picking on yourself?

When I started thinking about this for me, I realized I made a lot of jokes at my own expense. You know, I’ll make a joke about my bad hair day or my chubby thighs. And the more I paid attention, the more I realized how often I did that, how often I belittle myself, even through a joke. And I shouldn’t be doing that. I am God’s child. He created me.

I wish we could see ourselves the way God sees us. It doesn’t matter that we’re not the perfect weight, whatever that is. Or the most beautiful person in the world, whatever the definition of beauty is. Or the perfect size, whatever that is.

Are you looking at culture’s definition of beauty? Or are you looking at God’s definition of beauty? There’s a big difference there.

I am not perfect. But I am a unique creature. I am God’s daughter. And it’s okay for me to have my gray hair, and to have laugh lines, and yeah, even to have chubby thighs. But it’s not okay for me to belittle myself or to shoot myself down. You wouldn’t do that to your best friend, so why would you do to yourself? Why would you do that to God’s creation?

We’re going to talk more about this in down the road, but for the next week or so, do me a favor. Listen to yourself as you talk to about yourself. Are you belittling yourself? Are you in a cycle of negativity? If you wouldn’t say it to your best friend, don’t say it to yourself.

Watch your words. Try to get into a cycle of being positive. Take care of yourself. And we’ll see you next time.