God Hears Your Heart Cry

 

Weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning - Ps 30:5

Have you ever stopped to consider whether what you value and how you live line up to one another? For instance, I say that I value my walk with Jesus and that He's my best friend but there are times that I don't pray nearly as much as I should. Instead, I let my health or what people may think or say about me consume my thoughts. This isn't how we should be living - it'll only weigh us down and make us feel miserable.

Finding the Authentic You

"You can be the ripest, juiciest peach there is, and there will still be people who don't like peaches" 

- Dita Von Teese

The authentic you isn't a downtrodden, miserable person. You shouldn't let your health make you feel this way either.

Take a moment to consider what you value in your relationships with others. Is it honesty, peace, maybe something else? Once you discover what makes a relationship valuable you need to look inside and see if that's what you're offering others when they're in a relationship with you.

Here's an example...

I say I value authenticity and yet I'm a perfectionist. This trait encourages me to spend a lot of time trying to make everything perfect so I can be everything everyone wants or expects me to be. Obviously nobody can do that so this doesn't fit with what I want from my relationships.

When you live out of your true identity it's freeing and healthy. However, you need to remember that not everyone is going to like you and that's OK. There are plenty of other people on this Earth that they can like and who can like you.

Discovering Where You Want to Be

Part of discovering who you are and finding the relationships that support your true self is to find things that bring joy into your life. Sometimes things like finances and our health may hold us back if we let them. However, it doesn't have to be this way. You can find things that bring you joy regardless of the circumstances in your life. In fact, when I worked with the homeless I found some of the happiest people on this Earth. Why? It's because they felt free to be themselves - a lesson we can all afford to learn from them.

This doesn't mean that everything is going to go right all the time. When something doesn't go the way we want it to we should pause to see that God hasn't forgotten about us... He's just choosing to do things a different way than what we'd expected. Maybe He's telling you something that He's been saying to me lately: "Not yet. You've still got so much to learn." 

This all goes back to finding your true self. You true identity was created by God and as Christians we should choose to let it flow through us. Trust that He wants to use your life and He will use your talents to further His Kingdom.

Take Away

Instead of trying to be what you're not, I encourage you to embrace the authentic you today. If you're headstrong, ask God to help you not push doors open. One thing I've learned is that rushing in somewhere because I'm headstrong doesn't make anything but a mess.

God is at work transforming your life so that you can be the type of person He wants you to be. Sometimes it may not seem like this is happening but it may be that He's asking you to rest for a bit so you're prepared for the next season you're entering into. Take joy and peace in this knowledge. 

Until next time, stay strong

~ Bre