It's ok to make mistakes.
It's ok to have your own needs.
It's ok to assert yourself.
It's ok to have your own feelings and unique identity.
It's ok to be too functional and practical, or too happy.
It's ok to be comfortable.
It's ok to trust yourself.
It's ok to depend on others for help.
It's ok to be vulnerable and to trust others.
It's ok to live free.
Building momentum
Do you ever have habits or routines that you look back on and miss? Like a time when you gained strength and newfound energy on a diet, or when you went out to grab lunch with a close friend consistently every Tuesday, or a time when you could spend an hour alone with God every day?
Have you ever tried to recreate the routine at a later time, but to no avail?
Regaining momentum is quite the burdensome task.
The reason is that momentum is the result of consistent movement. And oftentimes when we envision an old achievement, we fail to see the consistent movement and work (momentum) required to sustain and accomplish it.
So the next time you want to restart or try something new, remember:
It's easier to create momentum for a pebble than it is a boulder.
It's easier to find the grace and strength needed for your pain today than it is to find the grace and strength that will be needed for tomorrow.
It's easier to write for 15 minutes a day than it is to find the motivation to write an entire book.
So the next time you want to create momentum, start small. And when something begins to work in your life, learn to fight for it and protect it.
And only then build on it.
As the famous saying goes, "Rome wasn't built in a day."
The same will go for your dreams.
For momentum, even in small doses, is a catalyst for building and sustaining a life of purpose, fulfillment, and accomplished dreams.
FREE!
Love is not defined by productivity or achievement.
Love is not influenced by mistakes.
Love is a choice set in place before this world was ever formed.
Therefore, if love is not affected by your works, or your abilities, or your feelings of being deserving of love, then there is not a single moment throughout your life when you don't have access to receive love.
For God's love requires nothing of you.
His love is 100% free.
There is no cost of entry and not one single requirement.
God is waiting for us to come and lean into the freedom of his love daily- even when we are at our worst, and especially when we are feeling most undeserving of his love.
For a man's test is found in how freely he can receive love from the Father and how freely he can find love for himself when he is at his worst.
It's not hard to believe you're deserving of love when you're successful or achieving something. The question is can you trust that God actually wants to love you amidst your mistakes, your feelings of inadequacy, and your feeling of not being "good enough?"
The reality is we are more deserving of love than we could ever dream. The challenge is believing that even in our worst moments, we're as deserving of love as God says we are.
To the extent that God loves us freely, we must learn to love ourselves.
The voice of shame
in Overcoming Porn, Shame
“you're never enough”
so the voices go
down
down
in shame you go
“never enough”
you believe it so:
never the richest
never the strongest
never the wisest
“never enough”
“never enough”,
so the voices go...
down, down they pray you go
down, down to spiral so
shame comes in waves.
--
the desire burns
to be enough,
to have the strength
the looks
the honor
to be a man among men
but
no matter what you do,
the voices tell you
you are not.
in whispers he anchors you,
in lies he binds you,
hoping you never come up
with the rest of your kind,
with the rest of man.
together, men drown in waves.
--
though the tides are high
and many
are searching at sea
there is a voice in the distance
calling,
a voice from behind the light,
a father’s hand
outstretched
from afar
calling out to you,
seeking to rebuild the ruins
of man
--
in following this new found voice,
you quickly learn
shame will never quiet your fear.
no matter how long you follow him
there is no end to his depths,
there is no life in his promised comforts.
in the end, shame is
nothing but a lie.
you see it too, in the eyes of the men passing you
down the street:
they feel it too.
together, we live
in a world where, before all we come across,
despite our best works, days, and efforts,
we strive and
feel as though
we are not enough.
some combat their insecurity with pride,
others blanket themselves in disgrace
it's not wrong.
for no one's been taught another way.
but
little do we know that
through it all
god's eyes remain.
little do we know that
through it all
god's eyes never waver
from love.
through it all,
God is within reach
waiting for you to turn to him,
to his arms, wide open:
he's waiting for you to fall in.
--
and so,
you must choose your voice
to cling to
you must choose which voice will shape you.
day after day,
you must choose
to identify yourself
with
love,
over shame.
you must choose
to
step into your skin
to take up your name
to take form
as you become
your dreams.
Routines
Routines do 4 things:
- enslave us
- free us
- build something up
- tear something down
We can break a normal routine and find ourselves on an unanticipated adventure.
We can build a regular routine and create trust in a relationship, belonging amidst a community, and a history with God.
We can leave a job (and previous routine) and take the risk of pursuing our dreams.
When maximized, routines build up and break us into the life we dream.