Jan 31 GOD DOESN'T WANT US TO JUST BEHAVE BETTER. HE WANTS US TO BE HIS.

Affirmation: I step into my power with confidence and grace.

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Wholehearted Guidepost from Brené Brown 

Guidepost 7: Cultivating Play and Rest, Letting Go of Exhaustion as a Status Symbol and Productivity as Self-Worth

The same goes for rest. Many people see rest as a luxury and vilify it with an “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” attitude.
But again, the exact opposite is true. Without appropriate rest, you prevent yourself from fully experiencing the moments of your days. I’d propose a revised version of the above quip: “Without sleep, I’m practically dead already.”
Furthermore, the TIME you spend working is a shoddy metric for progress. What matters most is the quality of the ATTENTION and ENERGY you bring to what you do

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Mastering the 7 Decisions from Andy Andrews 

The Guided Decision 

I will seek wisdom

Sometimes the questions are complicated, but the answers are simple.

Knowing that wisdom waits to be gathered, I will actively search her out. My past can never be changed, but I can change the future by changing my actions today. I will change my actions today! I will train my eyes and ears to read and listen to books and recordings that bring about positive changes in my personal relationships and a greater understanding of my fellow man. No longer will I bombard my mind with materials that feed my doubts and fears. I will read and listen only to that which increases my belief in myself and my future.

I will seek wisdom. I will choose my friends with care. I am who my friends are. I speak their language, and I wear their clothes. I share their opinions and their habits. From this moment forward, I will choose to associate with people whose lives and lifestyles I admire. If I associate with chickens, I will learn to scratch at the ground and squabble over crumbs. If I associate with eagles, I will learn to soar great heights. I am an eagle. It is my destiny to fly.

Ask and it will be given to you, Seek and you will find, Knock and the door will be opened to you. Matt 7:7

Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Do not lean on your understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will guide your steps. Prov. 3:5,6

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Reading for Today

Walk in Grace. Live in Love. by Bob Goff

Jan. 31

GOD DOESN'T WANT US TO JUST BEHAVE BETTER. HE WANTS US TO BE HIS. 

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

1 JOHN 3:1 

 

When I was a kid, it seemed the adults in my life-my teachers, community leaders, and, sadly, sometimes my parents-liked me more when I was good. I get it. Who wants bad behavior? I learned that if I could bring myself to sit still, stay quiet, and wait to pass notes when my teacher was at the chalkboard, everything went more smoothly. We didn't learn better behavior, just better tactics. When I hit the mark, I didn't feel like such a nuisance. I felt like I was wanted. And I wanted to feel wanted. Who doesn't?

 

That sense of pressure to perform is a real punk, isn't it? It wasn't intended this way, but these things confirm our biggest fears: that we're not loved for who we are but for what we do, how we act, how things appear. We're loved if we make life easier for the people around us. We're loved as long as we hide our mistakes. As long as we're not an inconvenience, then we earn acceptance and permission to belong.

 

That is what's warped about transactional love: we secure it as long as we hold up our end of the deal. Here's the thing: God already took care of it. He said we're loved and belong because we were born. God says it doesn't matter whether we lose the game with a strikeout or hit it out of the park for the win­ - we're loved. He's not keeping score in the game because he already secured the win for eternity.

 

God doesn't want us to just behave better. He wants us to be His. We're already in! Can you just receive that you're in without figuring out all the reasons you shouldn't be? You, me, and the people who get under our skin the most-God said we're all His. Now go live like it.

 

What would change if you believed what God said about you?