August 25: Grace…Fall into It!

Affirmation: I choose to be self-compassionate. 

I am grateful to be who I am.

———Ponder, Personalize, Practice: Put Isaiah 58:11 into practice again today. (And everyday.) Wherever you live these promises are still for you.

The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” Isaiah 58:11 NIV

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Wholehearted Guidepost from Brené Brown

Guidepost 4: Cultivating Gratitude and Joy, Letting go of Scarcity and Fear of the Dark

When you are feeling like you 

• don’t have enough
  
• Aren’t enough
• Are Afraid
• Are Uncertain 
• Are Fearful

Be deliberate about focusing on gratitude and joy. Literally list at least 5 things/people that you are grateful for or that bring you joy. -JP

I Am grateful for the sunshine, the rain clouds, the green grass, the moon and the stars.

For courage, compassion, connection, community and collaboration. For grace, forgiveness. My husband, my family, my friends, my church tribe

I let go of fear and move forward in courage.

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Mastering the 7 Decisions from Andy Andrews

The Certain Decision 

I have a decided heart.

It’s not about what it IS…

It’s about what it can BECOME!

What you decide in your heart will be done and the light of God will shine on your ways. Job 22:28

The Certain Decision for personal success is what fuels your actions from the active decision. The clarity of vision you maintain in your mind is directly proportional to the effectiveness of your actions. A decided heart is unwavering in the face of continual challenges and setbacks and that ensures victory and a lifetime of greater fulfillment.

HOPES, DREAMS, ANTICIPATION…DECIDE.

I am grateful for my hopes and dreams and the joy they bring.

———

Reading for Today

Walk in Grace. Live in Love by Bob Goff

                             AUGUST 25 

GRACE CAN’T BE OUTSMARTED, OUTWORRIED, OR OUTRUN. THROW BACK YOUR ARMS AND FALL INTO IT. 

He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time. 

2 TIMOTHY 1:9 

We have the opportunity to wake up to the reality of grace the morning after we’ve messed up. The morning after the fight with a family member, the negative thoughts or subtle manipulations, the half-truths at work. When we have nowhere to go and no more excuses, grace reminds us we don’t need any. 

We tend to look for solutions when we mess up. We want to right our wrongs. The world tells us we need to work harder to get back on our feet. As we anxiously try to fix our mistakes, we worry we won’t be able to rein in our temper or curb our addictions. We fear we really are defined by our mistakes. 

But grace can’t be outsmarted, out-worried, or outrun. Our efforts to fix ourselves are pointless because God already told us we don’t have to clean ourselves up to travel with Him. He said to run to Him as we are, in the middle of our messes, and He’ll be the one to put us back together again. 

What if we accepted grace’s invitation before we hit rock bottom? Instead of waking up to grace the morning after we blew it, what if we walked in grace the night before? Grace is there for us after we fail, but it’s also there to remind us we can grip love tightly instead of spiraling out of control. Instead of falling into old patterns and behaviors once again, what if, instead, we throw our arms back and fall into grace. 

What is grace inviting you to do today?

I am grateful for God’s grace…it is amazing!