Gentle

 Be gentle with yourself.

Handle all of you with care.

Be free from the expectation of perfection.

Just breathe.

You are right where you are supposed to be.

Caress contentment.

 Release comparison.

Know that God has you right where He wants you.

 He never once let the godly slip and fall.

So be gentle with yourself.

Just breathe.

Inhale.

Exhale.

You are right where you are supposed to be.

 

It is a new year. Welcome, 2022!!! With a new year comes a host of resolutions and personal ambitions. There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to improve and relinquish bad habits. In the pursuit of all these goals, we can tend to be too hard on ourselves when we don’t accomplish the goals, we set out for ourselves. Self-berating behavior does not stop at the dawn of the new year. This struggle can be year-round.

Consider this.  How do you speak to yourself when things do not go as planned? What are some of the thoughts that circulate your mind when you make a mistake? It is important to be gentle with ourselves. This practice of gentleness takes time to implement but it is so worth it. Our self-talk affects us spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. It’s important to have a healthy perception of ourselves.

What are some of the ways in which we can be gentle with ourselves?

1.   Love God first- Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these. Mark 12:30-31 

Our gentleness journey begins with the One who created us in His own image. When we love God with all our hearts, minds, and strength, we become focused on glorifying Him. Therefore, our perspective is taken off of ourselves and onto God. So, we don’t run the risk of making ourselves an idol. Pride can be manifested in two extremes. Either we think too highly of ourselves, or we think too poorly of ourselves. Either way, the self is on the throne of our hearts, a place that should be reserved for God. God can renew our hearts and minds to be focused on Him rather than ourselves. This is the foundation. Notice in the latter part of the verse, Jesus tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves. We cannot love our neighbors if we are so self-absorbed. God can help us to have a balanced view of ourselves, not leaning toward either extreme but thinking of ourselves the way He wants us to all while placing Him at the highest place.

2. Know and believe what the Word says about us - For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10.

It is imperative to know and believe the truth of God’s word regarding everything but especially regarding our identity. God’s word is constant and never changes. His word is truth. The enemy of our souls wants us to believe and declare lies about ourselves. He knows that if we do not know the Word of God, we will remain paralyzed into a distorted way of thinking. We believe the lies that we are failures, and we are not loved. We believe the lie that we can never do anything right. As a result, we remain stuck in a negative thought cycle which adversely affects our emotions and behavior  God’s word renews our minds and empowers us. When the negative thoughts come, we can be equipped to combat them with the truth of God’s word. God calls us redeemed( Isaiah 43:1-3). He says that we are fearfully and wonderfully made( Psalm 139:14). He says that we are chosen ( 1 Peter2:9). He says that we are His masterpiece(Ephesians 2:10). Knowing and believing what God says about us in His Word, prompts us to handle ourselves with gentleness. We are made in the image of God(Genesis1:27). We are loved. We are not rejected. We are not unwanted. We are not alienated from His love. We are special.  Try taking the time and declaring God’s Word over yourself. Find scriptures that talk about your identity in Christ and recite them out loud. Recite them till you know them by heart. Recite them until you believe them.

3.   Give yourself room to make mistakes and learn- The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again.
    But one disaster is enough to overthrow the wicked. Proverbs 24:16

Our humanity has rendered us to be finite beings who make mistakes. The agony is when we choose to stay in our mistakes and refuse to learn and grow from them. We are not perfect, we live in a fallen world, tainted by sin. Jesus had to come to earth, live a perfect life, and die on the cross for us so that we could be reconciled to God ( John 3:16). The Lord extends His forgiveness to us. We just have to confess our sins to Him(I John 1:9). We are imperfect and we will make mistakes in life. It is inevitable. But we can commit to growing. We can commit to learning and not let our mistakes define us or stop us from trying again.

 So, let’s strive to be gentler with ourselves. With the Holy Spirit’s leading and guidance, let’s try to watch the way we speak to ourselves, let’s monitor our thoughts( Philippians 4:8). Let’s remember to have a balanced view of ourselves and place God at His rightful place, the highest place in our hearts. Let’s remember our identity in Christ. We are redeemed and we say so boldly (Psalm 107:2).