I didn’t want to write today. I don’t feel well and still have so much to do. I was drowning in self-pity thinking I have nothing to write and no one’s going to read it anyways. Do you ever have those kind of moments when you wonder what’s the point? Am I making a difference? Does it even matter?
It was in the midst of this pity party I felt God whispering “Grace.”
I am my own worst critic. I can talk about how we need to stop chasing perfectionism or we need to put our priorities first, but I know that when it’s not the way you’ve been doing things, the radical transformation is hard.
God says in 2 Corinthians 12:9 that “My grace is sufficient for you”. I can keep going and doing but my works won’t earn me God’s favor. They won’t bring me joy. They won’t be a blessing to others if I’m only task-focused. Right now, if I kept going and doing, I would end up with a very short fuse that is likely to explode on an innocent passerby a.k.a. one of the kids. Pushing through would mean raising the stress level, when what I really need is rest.
Today, I have decided to give myself grace. If the house isn’t clean, I’m not going to worry about it. If a school lesson doesn’t get done, I’ll rearrange the schedule rather than force everyone to keep going until the work is done (which would be the point when emotions run high and energy runs low – a.k.a. “the breaking point”).
Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” God loves you. Don’t ever forget that. It really makes such a tremendous difference when I remember that He loves me and He loves every person around me. God isn’t waiting to remind me of my mistakes and point out my failures. He sees them and says “I love you regardless of the mistakes”.
Do you have that kind of love for yourself? Can you look in the mirror and say “I am fearfully and wonderfully made” or do you look for the flaws? Does your to-do list make you feel accomplished or like a failure? Last Saturday, I talked about how we need to make time for ourselves, but we also need to love ourselves. God didn’t send His Son to die for just anyone. He thought you were worth the sacrifice. I was worth the sacrifice. His love was so great that He redeemed us out of dire circumstances with amazing grace.
So I ask you, give yourself grace today. Give yourself grace tomorrow. Give those around you grace. Give your kids grace. Give your husband grace. Give your friends grace. If we start to live by grace, how much lower will our stress levels be? How much easier will it be to let go of the things that don’t matter? How about we find out!
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