Some months ago several of my friends kept telling that I needed to more patient with myself. I didn't understand what they meant, so I asked them. they said "don't be so hard on yourself", "don't expect so much from yourself", "it's okay to make mistakes your not perfect and you have to be, nobody is".
I still didn't understand so I did what I normally do and ignored it for as long as I could then prayed and asked the Holy Spirit to help me understand, to please remove the block from my head that just won't let me understand.
Sometime around then I put up a note on my cube wall that says "God doesn't give up on me as fast as I do.'' So every time at work when I'd start chewing myself out about anything and start getting really down I read it. There were other things that kept coming up to help me to, but one day I realized patience is like giving myself grace. See giving grace is just like forgiving yourself for those silly mistake we all make. Giving grace to yourself is praying and asking God to help you to stop beating yourself for all those things you did in the past that others have forgiven you for that you still feel so guilty about. Giving grace is remembering who I am in Christ on the daily, that yes, I've said mean things, done things I regret, not responded to situation the way I wish I would have, not said anything when I should have. BUT, hey, hey now didn't Christ forgive me when I've asked? Yep. So who is this bringing charges against me? Is it God? Nope. Is the Devil? Could be. Is it me? Could be both. So look self, Jesus has forgiven me when I ask and He is only One who can change me and make me better. Trust Him. Trust what He says is true. Trust that He has forgiven me and stop with the worry's and what if's. God has forgiven me so I can rest in His forgiveness of me as well as forgive myself.
All of this forgiveness and giving grace has to do with patience because patience is like pre-current grace. It's pre-grace for all the dumb stuff I'm going to do by slowing down my attitude/reactions to a calm remembrance that no matter what happens at the end of the day I'm still in Christ, and He in me. It's also current grace because when I'm in a situation where I just did something dumb I can stop and remember "hey I'm in Christ this will work out okay in the end" and not bitch at myself. This also works really well for when people push my buttons. It's also really helpful with others to remember that I've probably done the same thing to someone that they are doing to me. If not to another human being, to Jesus. See it's giving current grace. Patience, I think of it as a grace thing. ...I wonder how many of the fruits of the Spirit are grace things? huh, donno.
peace out!
I still didn't understand so I did what I normally do and ignored it for as long as I could then prayed and asked the Holy Spirit to help me understand, to please remove the block from my head that just won't let me understand.
Sometime around then I put up a note on my cube wall that says "God doesn't give up on me as fast as I do.'' So every time at work when I'd start chewing myself out about anything and start getting really down I read it. There were other things that kept coming up to help me to, but one day I realized patience is like giving myself grace. See giving grace is just like forgiving yourself for those silly mistake we all make. Giving grace to yourself is praying and asking God to help you to stop beating yourself for all those things you did in the past that others have forgiven you for that you still feel so guilty about. Giving grace is remembering who I am in Christ on the daily, that yes, I've said mean things, done things I regret, not responded to situation the way I wish I would have, not said anything when I should have. BUT, hey, hey now didn't Christ forgive me when I've asked? Yep. So who is this bringing charges against me? Is it God? Nope. Is the Devil? Could be. Is it me? Could be both. So look self, Jesus has forgiven me when I ask and He is only One who can change me and make me better. Trust Him. Trust what He says is true. Trust that He has forgiven me and stop with the worry's and what if's. God has forgiven me so I can rest in His forgiveness of me as well as forgive myself.
All of this forgiveness and giving grace has to do with patience because patience is like pre-current grace. It's pre-grace for all the dumb stuff I'm going to do by slowing down my attitude/reactions to a calm remembrance that no matter what happens at the end of the day I'm still in Christ, and He in me. It's also current grace because when I'm in a situation where I just did something dumb I can stop and remember "hey I'm in Christ this will work out okay in the end" and not bitch at myself. This also works really well for when people push my buttons. It's also really helpful with others to remember that I've probably done the same thing to someone that they are doing to me. If not to another human being, to Jesus. See it's giving current grace. Patience, I think of it as a grace thing. ...I wonder how many of the fruits of the Spirit are grace things? huh, donno.
peace out!
