I’ve been learning the importance of positive self talk recently.
While grabbing a cup of coffee with Stacia the other day she was telling me about a ladies night she went to recently where they were paired up with someone they didn’t know and they had to sit there, in front of that stranger, and for 5 minutes talk about things they are good at. They couldn’t put themselves down, or say they something they could be working on – nope it was a straight on self-brag fest.
I thought to myself, ‘could I even do that?’.
Just last night I literally started a conversation with “I’ll be the fattest person working there” and kept on rolling as if what I had just said wasn’t an absolute stab to my own heart. I’m so used to throwing myself under the bus that I don’t even notice the broken bones anymore; and let me tell you, I’ve been self-sabotaging myself for so long I’ve got some damage happening. This isn’t ok. It wouldn’t be ok if you, as my friend, were talking to me about this struggle you had with yourself and I shouldn’t be ok with treating myself like this.
Positive self talk is vital to our well-being.
It should be a nonnegotiable in our daily lives and yet I feel we put it at the bottom of our list.
I found myself in the “rest portion” of my Holy Yoga class last night overwhelmed with emotion, like I have been since my first class (seriously y’all, it’s physically and emotionally/spiritually so good). When we started our rest time Ashley had us silently ask ourselves, “What is something you love about yourself?” and without hesitation I thought “my passion”.
I’m a passionate person.
Sometimes that passion can come across as intimidating or overbearing, or even bossy, but it’s all passion. More often than not I find myself focusing on those negative qualities passion brings vs the good. I’m passionate about others; their stories and their hopes – the things that bring them joy and the ways I can help encourage their heavy hearts. I’m passionate about conversations and getting to the meat of it all. I’m a go-getter and find myself investing in a thousand different things because I just want to help or be a part of something I believe in. I love that I’m passionate.
When was the last time I encouraged myself?
Not any time recently and it’s something I want to actively work on.
“…So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ’s body, let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t.”
Romans 12:6 (The Message MSG)
Comparison is the thief of joy.
I’ve said it time and time again on this blog, to others, and to myself. It’s an ugly thing that deeps into our core and distorts so many of our thoughts that affect our actions and results in this rooted bitterness that we can’t seem to shake.
While laying on my church floor doing yoga I had this verse read over me I felt the weight of the truth it held.
Let me just be who I was made to be.
Not the girl next to me, not the woman who is running faster than me at the gym, not the instagram post someone who appears to have a perfect marriage, not the Bible Study leader who seams to have all the answers…nope, just me – Amy.
I am an excellently formed and marvelously functioning part of the body of Christ. I was created with gifts and talents, with strengths and weaknesses, and with characteristics that I, and I alone have and can contribute to my circle of influence and ultimately this world. Instead of wasting energy being envious over another person’s strength I could be investing that time into growing the strengths God has gifted me with.
So there it is friends.
Some truth to enter in to this weekend and hopefully keep me on the path of refinement.
