Aug 31 God has never looked at you and wished He saw someone else.

Affirmation: I step into my power with confidence and grace.
God is with me. I seek Him and follow Him.

——Ponder, Personalize, Practice: Practice this promise throughout your day. Repeat Psalm 34:10 as you go about your day. Set it up on your phone calendar with reminders. I have found that when I change my thinking and perspective, I see The Lord at work more easily.“The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.”‭‭ Psalm‬ ‭34‬:‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬_______

Wholehearted Guidepost from Brené Brown

Cultivate Intuition and Trusting Faith. Let go of the need for Certainty.

So if you want to get great at navigating uncertainty, cultivating your intuition and faith is essential.

Start practicing:

When you find yourself in uncertainty, check in with your intuition. Find stillness and consider: What’s your gut telling you to do? What would you do if you had no fear? (For me this is seeking the Lord.)

Create open space in your life to foster your internal connection. (Prayer, Pondering) If you’re constantly bombarded by media and events and the thoughts of others, you lose track of what’s true for you. Make time for meditation, journaling, movement, and other alone-time to keep your internal connection strong. (Ask God to show you the way you should go.)

———

Mastering the 7 Decisions from Andy Andrews

The Active Decision 

3. I AM A PERSON OF ACTION. I am Resilient 

I will create a new future by creating a new me. I inspire others with my activity. I am a leader. I will create a habit of lively behavior.

I will walk with a spring in my step and a smile on my face. My activity will create a wave of success for the people who follow me. As a leader, I have the ability to encourage and inspire others to greatness. I do not fear failure, because failure exists only for the person who quits.

I do not quit. I am courageous. I am a leader. I seize the moment. I choose now. I am resilient. 

———

Reading for Today

Walk in Grace. Live in Love by Bob Goff

AUGUST 31 

GOD’S NEVER LOOKED IN YOUR MIRROR AND WISHED HE SAW SOMEONE ELSE. 

“You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭86:5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I saw a sign once that said, “Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken.” I loved it because, let’s be honest, what choice do we have anyway? The hitch comes when we’re trying to be just about anyone but ourselves. We all do this. We want to be thinner or richer. 

We want to have a better degree or more popular friends. We all have the same basic desires. We want to experience love, purpose, and connection. People try to sell us stuff all the time by tapping into these basic needs. We want to experience love, so we strive to have relationships that will let us feel loved and accepted. We want purpose in our lives, so we’ll join or identify with social groups and issues and begin defining ourselves this way. We want connection, so we buy what it takes to wear the uniform of the social groups we want to fit in with. Most of all, what all of us want are those few authentic relationships—and we’ll trade who we really are for who we think we need to be. 

God tells us a different story about love and belonging. When He saw His creation, He said it was good, and there were no exceptions. He said you and I were created in His image, with all the wonderful variety that includes. God made some of us sensitive and others analytical, some slender and some burly, some soft-spoken and some rambunctious. 

The fact is, we’re God’s most creative act. If God wanted you to be like other people, He would’ve made us all the same. God chose to surprise us with different parts of His character and personality by showing part of Himself through you, through me, and even the people who occasionally drive us nuts. Be yourself and let others be themselves—because that’s the starting point of God’s love. God has never looked in your mirror and wished He saw someone else. 

What part of yourself can you embrace more?