Be Kind to Yourself

I know what it’s like to not be at peace with yourself. To be your own worst critic. To pick apart everything you’ve ever done. It’s exhausting.

While being stuck in the middle of a world wide pandemic is stressful, I’ve learned some really important lessons. One of them being how to be kinder to myself. In the midst of chaos, sometimes there is indescribable peace - something that only comes from the Lord. If I’ve learned anything it’s that life does not go according to plan… and that is okay.

I’ve gotten mad at myself for messing up or not measuring up to my idea of perfect. When my plans get shattered I blame myself. If anything these past three months have taught me that there is a lot I don’t have control over and learning to release that. To trust God and His timing. To trust the lessons that He wants me to learn.

So how exactly have I learned to be kinder to myself?

Knowing God has a purpose for me. It is a struggle everyday to trust that the Lord has a purpose for my life, but every time I remind myself of this and read scripture and pray about this, my confidence grows. I understand that when I “mess up” I haven’t derailed the Lord’s plan or purpose for my life. God’s plan on your life has always been His Plan A.

I am not a failure even if I have failed. This has been a hard one to learn. You can look at failure one of two ways: either defining who you are, or as a lesson to help you grow and get better. I’ve spent a lot of time believing the former. But your failures don’t define you. They don’t tell you who you are. You get to learn and grow from them. You can be kind to yourself because your failure isn’t the end of you, but a way to grow.

Treat yourself the way you would treat a friend. Would you talk to a friend the way you talk to yourself? Would you treat a friend the way you treat yourself? You have to live everyday with yourself, you need to learn to be your own best friend! Reminder you are created by a good God and a creative God who made you beautiful and in His image. Treat His creation in such a way.

While I will never be perfect, I’m learning to walk in such a way that reflects my confidence in who God created me to be.