I’ll lose ten pounds.
I’ll exercise five out of seven days.
I’ll yell less.
Encourage more.
Control anger.
Say no to sweets.
Pack lunches the night before.
Get. Freaking. Organized.
Prioritize rest.
It’s the time of the year we examine, pick apart what we don’t love about ourselves and proclaim we can do better.
And in many cases, we can. We can always get better. None of us has “arrived” in this game of life nor will we ever on this side of heaven.
Yet, if you’re like me, one of the most critical voices to silence is the one inside my head.
She can down-right be a witch. If you, too, have a witch inside your head, here are five ways to tell her where to go:
1. Accept you are a human. Listen. Every last one of us is disabled by the flesh. We. Are. Going. To. Mess. Up. It’s a given. And when you do, go easy. Think about what you would say to your child or a close friend if they make a mistake. You wouldn’t jump in and start condemning them would you? You deserve the same.
2. Be realistic of what you can do in this season of life. I FINALLY accepted this just last year. I have two preschoolers and a second grader. There are just some things that I won’t be able to do that others who don’t have small children can. My time will come, I know. But for now, it’s not the season.
3. Start small and don’t over-commit. When we produce a list ten feet long, it’s easier to throw-in the towel and wave the white flag of surrender. Don’t. Pick two to start with. Or even one. Resist the urge to over-commit yourself by attempting to implement the antidote to every last thing you want to change on January 1. Whatever you’re trying to improve didn’t happen in one day and its going to take some time before it becomes the “new norm.”
4. Don’t look too far ahead. Accept what you can do for today and choose one or two things to focus upon. Remember: just enough light for the step you’re on.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. – Matthew 6:34
5. Recognize the verses in the Bible about having grace and forgiving others pertains to you as well. Meaning you are expected to give grace and forgive YOURSELF. Seriously. That’s not just for other people.
Go easy, friends. Give yourself grace. Accept your limitations. Rest in knowing you are His and this alone, is enough. He knows you’re trying but if the journey was meant to be easy, we wouldn’t need Him much now, would we?
” . . . Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.” – Isaiah 43:1
What about you? Do you struggle with giving yourself grace? What is something you’re hoping to do differently in 2013?
I do struggle with giving myself grace but lately … many precious friends have been reminding me to do so, to recognize that I have value, that I’m important, and that I need to take care of myself too!
Great post, Natalie!
Funny how it is easy to give it to others than to ourselves. Thank you for this beautiful reminder, Natalie. Thank you for sharing these ways to give it to myself!