Jan 20 GOD ISN'T AFRAID OF OUR DOUBTS;

Affirmation: I am compassionate. I care about myself and others.

“When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they replied.” (Matthew 9:27-31)
Who we come to believe depends importantly on two things:
1. Knowing the person who made the promises or spoke the words;
2. Our actions in response to those promises and words upon hearing them.

~~~~~

Wholehearted Guidepost from Brené Brown

Cultivate intuition and Trusting Faith. Let go of the Need for Certainty.

REFLECT ON YOUR GIFTS OF IMPERFECTION

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Sit for a couple of days and think about which lesson has meant the most to you. Perhaps it was the mantra exercise. Or maybe it was the self-compassion activity. Recognize that it will be different for each individual; there is no right or wrong answer.

2. Know that you can make art that is meaningful to you but that doesn't have to be meaningful to anyone else. You don't need to show anybody yours to know it is important to you.

3. Acknowledge that your story matters because you matter.

At the end of each lesson, Brené guides you to wholeheartedness and puts the lesson into practice by helping you to DIG Deep. Reflect on how to apply this lesson to your life using thought-provoking questions to help you Get Deliberate, Get Inspired and Get Going. Write your answers in your journal, talk them over with friends or family, and spark a discussion.

~~~~~

Mastering the 7 Decisions from Andy Andrews 

Joyful Decision 

5. TODAY I WILL CHOOSE TO BE HAPPY.

Happiness is a choice. I am enthusiastic about each day. I am alert to its possibilities.

I will become the master of my emotions.

I will greet each day with laughter. I know that enthusiasm is the fuel that moves the world.

The world belongs to the enthusiastic, for people will follow them anywhere! My smile has become my calling card. It is, after all, the most important weapon I possess. I am the possessor of a grateful spirit. 

~~~~~

Reading for Today

Walk in Grace. Live in Love. by Bob Goff

Jan. 20

GOD ISN'T AFRAID OF OUR DOUBTS; HE'S WAY MORE CONCERNED WHEN WE FAKE IT.

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. 

HEBREWS 4:13 

 

My all-time favorite game to play with our kids when they were young was hide-and-seek. I would walk into the room and see two feet, a knee, a child­sized bulge under the blanket, or perhaps an ear sticking out from behind a curtain. The kids thought they would be hard to find when, actually, they were hard to miss.

 

I think that's how God sees us when we try to hide who we really are from Him. He knows the thoughts we're too embarrassed to mention and the feel­ings we can't articulate, and He knows about all our uncertainties. He hears the prayers we wouldn't have the courage to even whisper and knows our hopes that are still being developed.

 

Yet we still try to hide who we really are from Him. Perhaps we think if we just hide how we really feel, what we really want, and how scared we really are, He won't see us behind the curtains we've made. Hiding from God didn't work in the garden of Eden, and it still doesn't work. He asks us now what He asked Adam and Eve then-Where are you?

 

God isn't afraid of our doubts. He's not put off when we struggle to believe, and He's not surprised when we don't understand what a God who says He surpasses all understanding is doing. He's not keeping track of the number of days when we feel close to Him, nor is He docking points when we wonder if He's even there. Instead, He sympathizes with our fears that He might not be as good as He's promised.

 

It's the very reason God sent His Son, Jesus, to us. Jesus came to give us a living example of the God we couldn't see, because He knew we needed some­one who would feel the weight of our weakness while still living authentically into both His deity and His humanity. His response to Thomas, who saw Jesus in the flesh and still doubted, wasn't a scolding; it was grace (John 20:24-29). You pick any story out of the Bible and you'll find the same. This is still His response to you and me. We need to get real enough with Him about our doubts so He can be Jesus enough with His grace. Simply put, we don't need to hide anymore.

 

What parts of your life are you hiding from God?