christian living, faith walk, freedom in Christ, God's Word, inner critic, life experience, perseverance, Prayer, resilience, should
The endless days of summer aren’t as “endless” as they used to be. I’m sure many of you are ready for the schedule and routine that follows the school year calendar. You may have already taken those first day of school photos and summer is in your rear view mirror.
While I’ve enjoyed time with family and my sweet grands, I’m ready for a shift in seasons and the pacing of a more regular routine.
Did the summer season bring you new insight on how you respond to the world around you? For the moms or grammas with kids at home, summer can be a drain on ideas and resources, leaving you spent and craving naps and real food at all hours! Even without kids around there are so many times we women are hard on ourselves.
- In those moments were you kind to yourself?
- Did the inner critic throw shade your way and make you feel less than enough?
- Were there some expectations of yourself that weren’t realized?
Did you say yes to any of those? Consider how you respond to those inner thoughts. How can you speak life to the parts of you that feel like they should have done more?
This article image is a reminder because I am in Christ, I am also all these things: loved, accepted, redeemed, enough, fed, filled, free and so much more! These are truths I can speak over the shame and shade the inner critic throws at me. I can face tomorrow because of who He is!
Luke 4:18 records these words Jesus spoke, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.”
As summer winds down and the rhythm of routine returns, I pray you will recognize the shame, guilt and lies of the inner critic. Then arm yourself with the truth of who God is, and what His word says. His truth is liberty, sight and the good news we need to combat the inner critic’s shame game.
christian living, control, faith walk, freedom in Christ, God first, God's Word, inner critic, restoration, should, trust
Freedom? I don’t know about you, but I often feel like I still have chains binding me to choices, relationships, behaviors, and situations. The truth is, I may still live with the consequences of those choices and situations, but I live with them as a free person. A person set free by the only One who can free anyone – Jesus Christ. That fact is a game changer.
I recently heard a pastor say this, “In Christ, God doesn’t just forgive sin; He removes its pollution.”
The pollution image stuck with me. I see pollution as having a cumulative impact. It’s not just today’s choice that changed the air quality, it’s choices made over time that make the air thick and hard to breathe. The cumulative impact of my previous choices have the potential to rob my mind of peace, but In Christ I’ve been washed, made clean, and I am no longer condemned.
I’m learning I have a tendency to dwell on the past in unhealthy ways. In a sense, I’ve created mental pollution and invited it to hang around, even though I am no longer condemned. Ugh.
Don’t misunderstand – there are plenty of past circumstances I still live with the consequences of, but how I approach them now is as one who has been set free. Christ removed the guilt, shame and condemnation on the cross. He bought my freedom, including its stain. He gave me His righteousness in return. Whew. Yes! And Amen!
He also gives me His strength to face the lingering impacts of past choices.
This is great news!
Do I live like I believe this everyday?
Not always, but by God’s grace, I’m growing in my understanding of what it looks like to live in His freedom.
Maybe your “pollution” is a wrong done to you – Christ’s freedom covers that! It doesn’t mean the all hurt and pain will disappear. But God. He loves you and gives grace to help you move forward in His freedom and grace, one small step at a time. There is no time limit. He never leaves. He is with you.
Friend, this is my encouragement for you – we get to live free, because Christ has set us free. I’m learning I can address the past through the hope of my future. I can own my stuff – the pollution I’ve created for others, as well as the pollution dumped on me – and then by God’s grace walk forward in Christ’s Freedom.
Repeat this to yourself:
He sees me – right where I am.
He knows every detail of my situation.
He loves me and He will not leave my side.
“If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” John 8:36
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 Cor. 3:17
Bible verses for more insight: Psalm 139:1-3, Proverbs 15:3, John 10:27, John 3:16, Romans 5:8, Ephesians 2:4, Romans 8:38, Psalm 103:11, Psalm 31:7
You are not alone in the struggle to live free and silence the inner critic. Join a community of women who are learning to rewrite their inner dialogue. Get my twice-monthly Yellow Boots Insight newsletter with tools, stories and reminders you are enough. (Click on “Yellow Boots Insight” for the link.)
christian living, faith walk, God first, Listening, perseverance, Prayer, resilience, should, spirituality
Do you ever get a song stuck in your head and you just can’t make it go away? It plays over and over and over again. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
There’s a track that plays in my mind, much like a familiar tune, on repeat. But this track isn’t a happy dance tune, it’s rather melancholy, telling me that I haven’t done enough; that I could do more; that I “should have” ( ____ fill in the blank.) It plays on repeat as I try to live up to the “not enough” lies it’s chanting into my mind.⠀⠀⠀⠀
Are you familiar with this chatter?
I’ve discovered I’m very hard on myself. Even though perfection isn’t possible, there is the expectation in my mind that I “should be or do things perfectly.” I can verify, the “should lies” will get you down! They’ve left me feeling insignificant, like I’ve fallen short and can never measure up. The woulda, shoulda, coulda, game doesn’t allow for grace, nor does it comfort, rather it speaks lies and shame that I too quickly believe.
Do you have a soundtrack playing that you’d like to change? Listen closely…
Grace, defined as unmerited favor, is much easier to give than to receive. And yet, God – the Author of Life – offers His grace to us daily. He wants the soundtrack in our minds to speak truth and comfort to our souls – to speak grace over guilt, not condemnation and lies. It’s time to change the soundtrack.⠀
How do we change the inner soundtrack?
- Recognize the lie. Lies are from the enemy of our souls. Stop singing along with the lie.
- Reframe it by shifting from guilt and shame to possibility. We can do all things in Christ. His strength makes changing the soundtrack possible.
- Replace it with truth. Memorize truth. Sing truth. Talk about truth. Listen to the truth on repeat.
God’s Word is truth and our life source of wisdom and hope. Give truth more attention than the old soundtrack of lies. Soon, a new habit will form. Let the truth play over and over in your mind! Hello truth- Bye-bye lies!
“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”⠀2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV⠀
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” James 1:5
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:1-2
“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13 ESV
