Remind Yourself

I can be extremely forgetful.  I sometimes walk into a room and forget why I was headed there.  There are days where if I'm distracted or interrupted mid-sentence, what I was saying will be completely gone.  I need plenty of reminders-notes, my calendar on the fridge, alarms on my phone, the people in my life, you name it.  I need multiple ways of reminding myself various things.

I am also a visual learner.  Sometimes I can see how I wrote something down in my mind, and what it looked like exactly.  I guess it makes sense that I have notes all over my home.  Yes, a lot of those notes are reminders for doctor's appointments or birthday parties, but I think the other ones are more important.  I bought some star-shaped paper from the dollar store and wrote down verses or phrases that inspire and encourage me.  Our lives can get so busy and distract us from the truths God wants us to remember. 

You are loved. 

God has a great and detailed plan for you. 

You matter.

Last weekend, I was blessed to be able to attend a local women's conference.  One of the activities we did was to sit quietly with our eyes closed and think about seeing Jesus.  What would He do?  Would He say something to you?  Every woman had a different experience, and in mine, I was reminded that He adores me.  Me!  Right now.  In all my mess and mistakes, He loves me.  At a later time in the conference, there was an opportunity to make necklaces and they would stamp words on a pendant if you wanted.  So I got the word "adored" stamped on mine.  Yes, it is a fashionable piece of jewelry, but I usually tuck it under my shirt.  It's a reminder for me, and sometimes when I am feeling low or that I just don't measure up, I cling to that necklace and remember that the Creator of the universe thinks I'm pretty special.  The woman stamping the jewelry shared that her necklace says "brave."  I think that's pretty cool.

In the busyness of our lives, it is so easy to miss the whispers of God's voice, or to not squeeze in that quiet time praying and reading the Bible.  I have found that if I put a verse on my bathroom mirror, I see it often enough that I memorize it without really trying.  And sometimes God will bring that verse to mind when I need His truth to speak into my life.

I would encourage you to find a moment or two and figure out what reminder would speak to you.  Put post-it's everywhere, wear a piece of jewelry that means something to you, make an inspirational picture your screensaver on your phone, do something that will remind you who you really are, and Who you belong to.

Speak with Love

How do you talk to yourself?  Do you speak gently and encouragingly, with kind words that bring hope?  Or do you tell yourself things that you would never think of saying to someone else?

I struggle with self talk.  I see my messy house, those pounds I should lose, how I couldn't think of the right words to say, and I make sure I don't forget any of those things.  So many times I break my own heart.  And that breaks my Creator's heart.

Proverbs 12:18
The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

How would my outlook change if I gave myself more grace?  I think I would be more brave, willing to put myself out there and take risks.  I would most likely be more content with who I am if I told those negative voices to shut up.  My soul would be calmer, and in those quiet moments right before I fall to sleep, my mistakes  wouldn't be paraded around in my mind's eye.  I know the devil definitely has a place in trying to bring me down, but I should be fighting him, not helping him by accepting the lies.  Lies like, "I'm stuck here.  I can never change."  "I always mess up!  Will I ever get it right?"  "I'm so alone in this.  No one else knows what it's like."

 Proverbs 15:4
The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.

Perverse can mean cross, ill-natured in spirit.  I can become cross with myself and my shortcomings, and my defeating thoughts crush me.  I love how the Bible is so truthful and timeless.  God gets it.  He knows what it's like to walk this earth and feel weary and heartbroken.

2 Corinthians 12:9
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

I'm not exactly sure how I will boast about my weaknesses, but I do know God wants me to allow Him to work through them so I can be refined.  I'm not supposed to wallow in them.

Thanks for letting me share my heart.  I feel challenged right now to really examine my thought life, and ask God to make me more aware of what I'm telling myself as soon as that negative thought hits my brain so I can squash it.  I hope you can weed out the lies you tell yourself, too.  When you pull out a lie, replace it with a truth that God gives you.  Claim His word as your own.

Zephaniah 3:17
The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.

Obedient

Usually when a topic pops into my head, and I feel like I'm supposed to write about it, I look up some verses for direction and clarification.  I'm going to be honest here, and admit that I don't really want to bring this topic up because God has been speaking to me about this area in my life.  Some of the verses I found sting just a little, but that's one of the ways we can grow, right?  So here we go!

What comes to mind when you hear the word "obedient"?  I think of my toddler, and how I wish she would obey me immediately.  I think of myself, that sometimes God wants me to give up that thing, or go talk to that person, or start this new healthy thing.  I'm not sure what it is about my personality, or spirit, or flesh, but I do know that I do not obey like I should! 

Philippians 2:8
And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by
becoming obedient to death-- even death on a cross!

What?! Oh man!  This one hurts.  We're to imitate Jesus, right?  He trusted His Father to the point of death.  I'm not saying that God asks us to put ourselves to death...although He does, actually, now that I think about it.  We are to put our flesh to death by dying to ourselves daily, taking up our cross, and following Him.

For me right now, that might mean I need to wake up a little earlier for some quiet time with God.  I am a morning person, so I would most likely enjoy it, but currently I have been sleeping in as late as I can.  If you are a night owl, maybe consider doing it at the end of your day instead of scrolling through facebook or watching tv.  I would like to be more disciplined in giving Him some of my time when I'm at my best and can focus on Him.

My flesh also has a love/hate relationship with sweets and baked goods.  Or, as someone has wisely said, I love sweets but they don't love me back.  In general I think sugar is in way too many foods, and we get an unnecessary amount.  My body, in particular, cannot process sugar as easily as other people can because of a hormone imbalance that affects many aspects of my health.  I seriously need to reexamine the place food has in my life, and how I am giving my body the nourishment it needs.

Isaiah 1:19
If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land

This verse makes me laugh because I can take it two ways.  I believe it is supposed to be a promise-that God will give us the good things of the land if we are willing and obedient.  That is how I initially read it.  Then I read it again, but this time saw it as a command-you WILL eat the good things.  God wants me to be healthy, energetic and physically available to serve His kingdom.  If I held out a cookie and an apple and asked Him to choose my snack for me, it's pretty easy to imagine what the choice would be.  He wants me to take care of myself and choose the best option.

These two examples of obedience seem simple.  I know they could prove to be challenging but extremely rewarding once I obey and make such discipline a regular aspect of my life.  Are there areas in your life you need to reevaluate?  Where is God calling you to make changes and be obedient to Him?