2 Corinthians 1:3: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort …

Gratitude Day 931

It is amazing how awful I can treat myself sometimes. Ways that I HOPE I would never inflict upon someone else. Little bits of information that I tell myself, which may or may not be true.

It’s a day ritual and challenge.

“Boy, you look tired.”
“Seriously. Shouldn’t you loss a few pounds, Dianne?”
“Why don’t you get more done?”
“How could you forget THAT?”
“Why do so many other people have their crap together … and I don’t?”
And on and on and on.

It’s really quite a little game I have with myself. Put junk in and expect good things to come out. How well does this work? Not so well.

Recently, I watched an interview where an older, well-respected news reporter was interviewing a high school student. A clarinet player, she had tried out for a national symphony. The reporter asked her if she ever had any doubt about being selected for the symphony. Much to the reporter’s surprise, the teen said, “No, I never doubted it. I knew I was going to get in.”

Wow. I want her self-confidence!! When the reporter asked about her level of self-confidence, she was honest and said that this is how she feels about herself. Confident.

I admire this level of confidence; probably because I’ve never quite had that much self-confidence. Instead of unending confidence in my abilities, I struggle with being as gentle with myself as I would like to think I am with others.

In many situations, confidence is great. Yet, we can think of the person we know that has WAY TOO much confidence and needs a little chipped away at times. It’s easy for confident people to become too full of themselves to the point that it can be off-putting to others.

It’s a tricky dance, this waltz between confidence and humbleness. Both are probably best. A little confidence helps people challenge themselves and know they are capable of difficult things. Yet, I see humbleness with admiration as well because this means we don’t need recognition. We do things because, well, we want to make our little part of the world a better place.

So, how do we hold compassion and humbleness in tension without letting one take over?

Carefully.

At times, we really should be gentler with ourselves. When we speak harshly to someone – ourselves or another person – basically, we are telling that person that he/she isn’t good enough in God’s eyes. Honestly, I don’t think this is the way God sees us. Nor is it how God wants us to see ourselves. We are beautifully and wonderfully made by God. Treating ourselves poorly is devaluing the creation God accomplished with you. You are not only telling yourself hurtful things; you are also saying them to God. And I’m quite confident God would prefer that we not call God’s creation ugly words.

One way you can GROW this Lent is to be more observant with the language you use with yourself.
• How do you speak to yourself?
• What language do you use?
• Should we use more moderate words than the extreme words we often find ourselves using? Absolutely.

I find it so interestingly that I am most often use more gentle words with others than I use with myself. But why not use gentle words with both? All people are God’s creation, beautifully and wonderfully made. Why not be proud of the creation YOU are in Christ … and speak to yourself as if you are proud?

If you do not struggle with compassionate speaking to yourself, GOOD FOR YOU! For the rest of us? Let’s embrace a bit more compassion. A lot more grace. And the reality that God created YOU just the way you are.

For the encouragement to be compassionate towards others and myself, I am thankful.

Blessings –
Dianne

Holy God – Instill within me a deep desire to speak as gently and kindly to myself as You would. To acknowledge and remember the beautiful creation You made me. Help me accept myself humble and compassionately because You already have. Amen.

Looking for a bit of daily inspiration? Check out my daily affirmation posts on Facebook and Instagram (Dianne Deaton Vielhuber and Simple Words of Faith.)

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