Give Yourself A Break

Each of us has an internal dialogue of conversation going on every day. In fact we probably talk more to ourselves than we do anybody else. This can be an important concept to evaluate considering a positive self image is necessary in order to be successful in this life.

So what do you say to yourself? Who do you say you are? What are you speaking to the inner chambers of your heart? That repeated conversation that captivates your attention at random moments throughout the day, that unconscious interruption that comes out of no where, most of the time that voice tells us who we're not.

"You'll never be capable of handling this situation?"

"You don't measure up to the qualifications they need for that job?"

"You'll never change!"

"You have no will-power, you can't commit to anything more than a day."

"You don't measure up."

"They don't like you, they'll never accept you into this family."

Constantly our brain bombards our heart with conversations like these, acknowledging everything that has ever been wrong with us. These recordings continuously replay negative thoughts of who we are not, until we believe that's who we are!

If you have one of those recordings it's time to destroy it. 

This negative self image keeps you in
bondage and hinders your potential. So what, you've made a few mistakes, you didn't get the job you planned for, you still have a bad habit you haven't been able to break, your in-laws still don't give a rip about you and it's been twelve weeks and you haven't lost a single pound. Give yourself a break! Stop being so hard on yourself and instead of feeding your thoughts with who you are not, start telling yourself who you are and who you will become.

God thinks you are pretty amazing and He knows you have undeniable potential. As a matter of fact He went to great lengths to prove it, He sent His only son Jesus Christ to die for you. Now that's amazing!

So start today by telling yourself who you are in Christ. Remind yourself daily you are loved and accepted by the one who holds your future. Don't let comments or mistakes of the past confound you in the prison of failure. Release yourself to be free, to be all that GOD has called you to be. I'll be the first one to tell you, with God you can do it!

Blessings - Polly

Stay Focused

When my daughter was just old enough to talk she always repeated things to her Father and I as if we didn't hear her the first time. As she got a little older her technique for communicating important information was still to repeat it but it always was proceeded by, "Mom, are you listening to me?" Waving her little arms toward her face she would motion with her index fingers to her eyes, "Right here Mom, right here, I have to tell you something."  If in her opinion I or her father, didn't engage enough eye contact she would literally grab my face with her tiny chubby toddler hands and turn my eyes towards her begging, "Please Mom look at me, I need to tell you something." What my toddler had to tell me was never life threatening or an emergency, as it would appear but it was important to her and she wanted my complete and undistracted attention focused on her.

Now that Karson is a teenager we joke with her about her behavior as a toddler and she will sometimes now in her cute but annoying way, mimic her toddler behavior just to get a laugh from us and the not so funny smirk from her older brother.

Life can so easily throw distractions our way weekly, daily and for some even hourly: Flat tire, loss of a job, illness, diagnosis of a disease, death, financial loss, tragedy, terrible news via a phone call, war or a government shut-down. It's easy to get side-tracked and focused on our problems, especially when they seem to come on the hour every hour. By the end of a typical day we are exhausted physically and mentally, consumed with the what if's, the how comes, and the why not's! 

All the while God is waiting for our attention. He is wondering why we continue to focus on the problem instead of the problem solver. I sometimes amuse myself and think He may be looking down waving his arms like my toddler and saying, "Hey you, focus on me!" Then with His loving and caring hands he would grab my face and turn it back towards heaven and he says, "Now why are you so pre-occupied with temporary circumstances? Lean not unto your own understanding, my child....just trust me!'

Oh the lessons we can learn from our children. When we turn our focus COMPLETELY on God He gives us peace and in His peace we are able to stop focusing on the problem and start praising the one who can solve the problem. 

Distractions are inevitable, choose what you will do with them. Be determined to keep your eyes upon the Lord who is "able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think". (Ephesians 3:20-21)

Do you desire to be victorious in overcoming distractions, then look to the PROBLEM SOLVER, keep your focus towards him and the things of this earth will grow strangely dim. 

polly herrin