Author | Speaker | Encourager

Sherri'sBlog

What Keeps Us From Slowing Down?

woman-1006100_640What drives us?

Do we slow down enough to discover how we feel when there aren’t any “to do” lists staring at us?

Most of us are so busy we never discover how we feel at rest. Or we unconsciously know that to be still means anxiety or stress start stirring inside, so we never step off the hamster wheel of busyness.

So, are we busy because there is too much to do? Or do we stay busy because we don’t like being alone with ourselves?

Do we fill every square inch of our schedule because we feel most comfortable with activity and no empty spaces?

Why is that?

Have we learned to like ourselves, or has a society so bent on comparison infected us with the belief that we aren’t as good as we should be?

It’s pretty easy to make a negative comparison when we only have snapshots of other people’s lives to compare against ours.

In a season where gift giving can come from a place of needing to prove love or success…when “things” help solidify our identify or our perceived place among our peers, we can end up with a sense of emptiness and loneliness amid the holiday bows and mistletoe.

Do we like ourselves?

What is our self-talk like? Are we negative and critical? “I am so stupid! Why did I do that? What an idiot.”

Or do we lovingly give ourselves grace when we blow it?

Words are so powerful. What kind of words do we cover ourselves in?

God created worlds with His words and we are made in His image (Gen. 1:26). So what are we creating in our lives through our words? Illness and anxiety perhaps? Or life and fullness?

We are made to love ourselves. That is such a foreign concept in our world. The thought of loving ourselves twists some of us inside because we’ve believed a lie that it is somehow wrong to love ourselves.

As if that makes us prideful instead of humble. So we then fall into a trap of gently putting ourselves down or deflecting compliments so that we don’t become puffed up and “think more highly of ourselves than we ought.”
(Rom. 12:3)

But as long as we keep our eyes on the one who made us and how amazing He is, and understand that all that we are and have is because of His love for us—–we’re not in danger of becoming puffed up. We are only amazing because He is amazing. It’s not through anything we’ve done.

And if He sees us as amazing, why wouldn’t we agree with His assessment and view ourselves through the lens of love?

So maybe we need to practice gentleness and grace with ourselves the next time we mess up?

Maybe we need to learn to go to Him and ask Him how He sees us in our messiness and imperfection.

heart-583895_640Because I know He’ll say, “I see My Son reflected in Your gaze every time I look upon you and I can’t help but be overwhelmed with love for you.”

If He looks at us with amazing love, we need to learn to love ourselves. We will never love others well until we do.

When we love ourselves with the love of the Father, imagine what the world will see when they look at us?

A light on the hill that shines His love for all to see.

Prayer

Father, I need a revelation of love. I want see myself as the amazing creation You’ve made me. You love me despite all my imperfections and I want to love myself with Your love. Please fill me so that I overflow with love to others. Bring me into the fullness of who You created me to be. Thank you! In Jesus’ name, amen.


Photos via Pixabay

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