I recently had the opportunity to participate in a 4-week book study with a group of pretty incredible ladies. We read and discussed Beth Moore's So Long Insecurity, which I HIGHLY suggest every woman read. I gained so many things from the time I spent with these ladies and our discussions. But, there is one thing that has stayed in the forefront of my mind and I want to share it with you...YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE.
You are not the only one that doesn't always like what you see in the mirror.
You are not the only one that loses your temper and regrets the behavior that comes with it.
You are not the only one that has messed up.
You are not the only one that doesn't have time to clean the baseboards and ceiling fans.
You are not the only one that argues with your spouse.
You are not the only one that feels alone.
You are not the only one that can't fit into your jeans on 'certain' days.
You are not the only one that has been taken advantage of.
You are not the only one that questions your parenting ability.
You are not the only one that looks around in a crowd and thinks to yourself "I don't belong here."
You are not the only one that wants to change things about yourself (your size, your hair, your skin, your sense of humor, your ability to make friends, your attitude).
You are not the only one. In fact, we have all been through these moments. That's right...everyone deals with these thoughts. Even her...the one you think has it all together. What matters is how long we stay there. Some of us dwell in these thoughts. But, listen to me closely, we don't have to. The choice is ours. We know ourselves. We know we are human. We know we are imperfect. We know we have made mistakes. And we know we'll make more. BUT, we also know we are smart. We also know we are beautiful. We also know we are loved. I encourage you, dwell there. You are loved. And if we stop 'measuring ourselves up' to what we believe everyone else IS, then we can also know that they are human. They are imperfect. They have made and will make mistakes. But we can love them.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Do NOT go in there.
My house is very lived in. There are five of us. Three under the age of 10 who have no concept of a trash can or laundry hamper. But when I know people are coming over, of course, I clean my house. I don't want it to 'look' lived in. So, if you come for a visit (and I know you're coming) my home will be nice and tidy. Clean dishes, clean floors, clean bathrooms, shoes and jackets in their proper place, maybe even a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies. Welcome to the Johnsons'...
But there is one room in my house you will never go into. It's our 'office', and I'm using that term very loosely. This room contains everything we can't seem to let go of or find a space for. And the scary thing is it's just getting more and more full. If I look at the room as a whole it is almost overwhelming for me. I'm talking exercise equipment (which we don't use because I'd rather go to the gym), craft supplies (which I usually buy more of because I forget I already have them), stacks of papers that need sorting and filing (who has time for that???), kids' art projects and papers since they started school (these are not going anywhere), books...boxes of books, even three (yep, three) dinosaur computers that we don't use but aren't sure what to do with, and the list goes on and on. No, I am not a hoarder. I know that I need to clean this room out. I know that the longer I wait it is very likely that more will be thrown in there. Just one thing piled onto the next. I know that if I don't clean this room out, eventually it will get full. And inevitably, it will start to overflow into the rest of my house. Keeping it closed in behind that door does not make it any less part of my home and my belongings. It is part of the package as much as I want to keep it hidden.
So, I wonder how many of us have these little rooms inside our hearts. These secret little rooms where we keep things that we can't seem to let go of, but we don't really have space for. Even if we ignore them, they are still there. And we just pile more on top of the old until our little room is spilling over into other parts of us. It is very uncomfortable for me to be in that room, just BE there. I would never go sit in that room. It would just leave me overwhelmed and depressed. But I can't choose to ignore it. I must go in with the motive and mindset of cleaning out and making better. It may mean making the tough decision to get rid of somethings that I've had for a while. But, let me ask you this, if these things are so unnecessary (and even ugly) that they must be 'hidden' away, why in the world am I hanging on to them? It's time to clean out...papers, books, computers, craft supplies, insecurities, jealousy, blame, unforgiveness...clean out and make better.
But there is one room in my house you will never go into. It's our 'office', and I'm using that term very loosely. This room contains everything we can't seem to let go of or find a space for. And the scary thing is it's just getting more and more full. If I look at the room as a whole it is almost overwhelming for me. I'm talking exercise equipment (which we don't use because I'd rather go to the gym), craft supplies (which I usually buy more of because I forget I already have them), stacks of papers that need sorting and filing (who has time for that???), kids' art projects and papers since they started school (these are not going anywhere), books...boxes of books, even three (yep, three) dinosaur computers that we don't use but aren't sure what to do with, and the list goes on and on. No, I am not a hoarder. I know that I need to clean this room out. I know that the longer I wait it is very likely that more will be thrown in there. Just one thing piled onto the next. I know that if I don't clean this room out, eventually it will get full. And inevitably, it will start to overflow into the rest of my house. Keeping it closed in behind that door does not make it any less part of my home and my belongings. It is part of the package as much as I want to keep it hidden.
So, I wonder how many of us have these little rooms inside our hearts. These secret little rooms where we keep things that we can't seem to let go of, but we don't really have space for. Even if we ignore them, they are still there. And we just pile more on top of the old until our little room is spilling over into other parts of us. It is very uncomfortable for me to be in that room, just BE there. I would never go sit in that room. It would just leave me overwhelmed and depressed. But I can't choose to ignore it. I must go in with the motive and mindset of cleaning out and making better. It may mean making the tough decision to get rid of somethings that I've had for a while. But, let me ask you this, if these things are so unnecessary (and even ugly) that they must be 'hidden' away, why in the world am I hanging on to them? It's time to clean out...papers, books, computers, craft supplies, insecurities, jealousy, blame, unforgiveness...clean out and make better.
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