Tuning into Miracles
Right now, I'm doing the "Tune Into Miarcles" Challenge by Ashlee Miller. (Ashlee is awesome at helping people see the best in themselves, and she is a mentor of mine, and you can find this challenge at AshleeMiller.com.)
The challenge started a few days ago, and I am a little late to the game, because I have been so distracted and busy with life and allowing myself to wallow in self-pity and sorrow. Part of it comes from not taking proper care of myself physically- not taking my vitamins, sleeping well...you know the routine- and part of it is not caring for myself spiritually. I've put off my scripture study for a couple of days and I have been focused on the negative in life, rather than my blessings.
This might seem all fine and normal to you, because we all slip up, every once in while, right? But, for me, I NEED these things. I NEED to take care of myself, because that's what helps me function inside and out. I know I'm not the only one who neglects themselves. Why do we do this to ourselves, though?
We know what's good for us, yet we do the opposite of that? Or, maybe we're just allowing ourselves to be lazy? Whatever the reason is, when our neglect takes its toll, it's not pretty.
We tend to be pretty hard on ourselves; harder than we are on other people.
And then, we are so self-judgmental that we fill our minds with all sorts of negative, false beliefs. We see the flaws in ourselves. "Why can't I be MORE beautiful, MORE spiritual, MORE respected, or MORE intelligent?" we might ask ourselves.
We fail to see that God sees so much more of us and loves us, despite our imperfections. He sees all we've done, all we do, and where we're headed. He knows what we've said, who we've wronged, and what Commandments we've broken, and yet, He loves us the same. Yes, He's disappointed when we do wrong, but He loves us.
Do you understand that? Do you KNOW that?
A few days ago, I was talking with a friend, who was completely overwhelmed with life and ready to take her own. It broke my heart. She is a sweet woman, loving, and warm. She's made mistakes. She couldn't see how God could forgive her, and she saw no other way out. We had a prayer, which brought some comfort. I have continued to pray that she knows how much she is loved and how much she is worth, because we tend to forget that, at times; sometimes, too many times. We need reminders, and I believe, that's why it's important to pray and study the scriptures daily. We need those talks with God, and we need to hear what He has to say to us. He gives us these tools to help us on our journey; so, use them.
I know it's easier said than done, because when you feel super anxious or sad, it's hard to think about anything but how you're feeling. When I feel this, way, I try to push myself to do, at least, these basics. Some days, life is just hard. But I promise you, when you get these two basic things done, you'll feel better; maybe not completely better, but you'll see a glimmer of hope, at least. And some days, that's all you need!
This post was originally written October 24, 2016, but that darn "Publish" button got me and eluded me. ;)
