“Friend, stop being mean to yourself. Seriously. If you are going to be the person who does the brave things God is calling you to do, speaking life and developing beautiful things in others with your words, it begins with doing that for yourself.” Annie F. Downs, 100 Days To Brave (Day 12)
I think we might agree that we wouldn’t speak to our friends the way we speak to ourselves. I know, for myself, if I heard one of my children talking to one of their siblings negatively, I would have some corrective words to share with them (kindly and positively, of course…) so why do we speak unkindly to ourselves? Maybe we think we can get away with it because no one else can hear. I would suggest that while the people around us may not hear the words we speak to ourselves, they do see the product of them, that is how we react and how we behave.
What negative things have you told yourself today?
And what arguments have you just come up with to explain why it’s okay that you did?
The author reminds us of a recent devotional about the lies we believe, and challenges any reasons we might have to not speak kindly to ourselves. She writes, “You haven’t earned this love; it’s a gift. We don’t attempt to beat the lies and believe the truth and love ourselves because we are perfect. We do it because in our imperfections, God loves us deeply and has made us just the way He wanted.”
We are not perfect. But, we are loved just as we are. We are made to the exact design God chose. We are placed in the exact place to use what we have and how we are for his grand plans and for his glory. How exciting. Let’s be brave enough to say that to ourselves rather than the other stuff.
Groan. I even put myself down for recognising my traits in this.
But hey. I am loved. No matter what. Just the way I am.
I am thankful for my humour. My kindness to others. . And my ability to cope. That’s just off the top of my head.
I enjoyed today. It really helps to read this, to recognise it and to think about being kinder to myself.
When I look at you I see a long list of good things. But more importantly we are who God says we are, not who we think we are. We are not scored by some list of attributes that we/society make up. When God looks at us he sees a child he loves, he sees Jesus, he sees our past and our hearts. He looks on us with compassion. When we catch ourselves comparing unfavourably with someone else, or speaking unkind, negative things to ourselves, we need to find a way to remember who we are. We are not perfect. We are not the same as each other. We are loved just as we are by He who made us. Love Tifainé
I’m thankful for the hobbies/interests I have, my organization skills, and wit!
Keep speaking kindly! We are who God made us. We are loved just as we are. Love Tifainé
I love that I am a fierce fighter with a never give up attitude. I am resilient, diligent, and full of grit. I love that I feel deeply. I am not afraid to cry or experience emotions, even the hard ones. I usually do not avoid the emotions, but the trick is learning to not be ruled by the emotions. I also think I have a beautiful soul.
One of my summer reading books is “Self-Compassion: the proven power of being kind to yourself” by Kristin Neff. It was recommended by my friend and nutritionist because as a perfectionist, I am often prone to body shaming myself and beating myself up for mistakes I make, and being kind isn’t always easy.
Let me know how the book is!