Lots to do and never enough time, I repeated for the hundredth time. Knee tapping against my desk and planner pages bursting with tasks, I felt so overwhelmed. School zapped me, but these were exciting projects; why am I so unmotivated? My knee slowed; I checked my watch—6 p.m. I just can’t. I don’t have the energy. Closing my planner, I fell into bed. This wasn’t unusual. For the past two years, I’ve been in a motivation drought. Stuck with…
Let’s talk about expectations. As a recovering perfectionist, I struggle with setting my expectations too high and constantly being disappointed. When you’re always being disappointed in others, yourself, even God, it’s easy to lose sight of the joy and peace you crave. So this post will explain how we can identify when we are setting our expectations too high, how to be hopeful but also realistic. We will also talk about practicing positivity amid disappointment so that we can keep…
For the past few months, one of the most significant burdens on my heart has been the lack of connection. I felt I had no close friends and like this season would turn into a permanent situation. Going to as many events as I could, reaching out desperately to connect, I tried my best to find a community. The situation remained stagnant. I kept telling myself, “just keep trying; it’ll get better eventually,” but the inner critic started whispering like…
How to Find Freedom From the Fear of Flaws “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves [punishment]. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:8 God will never leave us when we fail My mom always reminds my sister and me that there is nothing we could do to lose her love. Her love casts out my fear of confessing and her judging me. Because of…
There is this ingrained desire to solve problems. At the core of some of us, we feel this need to make everything better. My mom always described this feeling as wanting to be someone’s savior. When someone trusts us enough to open up about their lousy grade, parents’ divorce, or crumbling love life, we want to fix the situation, make everyone happy, and save the day.
I was scrolling through Instagram when an ad for one of those “What would Jesus do?” bracelets came up. I couldn’t help but laugh to myself. I can see the benefit of keeping a constant reminder of God’s voice and presence close to you. In wearing accountability, it may serve as a resource for memorizing the question, one question to process thoughts and help discern next steps. But for me, “what would Jesus do?” can quickly act as a problem…
I often get caught up in the daily struggle against common trials; somedays it’s the seemingly ever-present demon of perfectionism. Some days, it is overcoming depression or anxiety enough to get up in the morning. But despite the mundane habit of battling your demons each day, God promises victory to those who surrender. If we surrender the daily fight, we reap eternal rewards. The hope found in God’s endurance alongside us amid our battles is the small yet powerful driving…
What is repentance? Repentance comes from the Greek word Μετάνοια or metanoia, which means a “transformative change of heart” says Merriam-Webster, or a “change in one’s way of life resulting from penitence or spiritual conversion” says Oxford Dictionaries. The free dictionary describes metanoia as a “fundamental change in character or outlook.” Metanoia—or repentance, means a change in direction. But, to change the direction, you first have to realize you are going the wrong way. Step 1: Realization The first step to a…