Why do we place the same pressure and demands on ourselves when we are treading hard waters?
Why do we think it is a realistic notion to run at a pace we once had prior to that life interruption?
And why do we not give ourselves grace when life has suddenly become unbearable?
One thing I quickly learned about myself is that when the stress and pressure builds around me, I feel I must push harder and keep going strong. Yet, within my soul and heart I can barely do the normal things that need to get done.
Maybe it is human nature, maybe it is our American culture of remaining ambitious and strong in our pursuits or maybe we, as a culture, have found a coping mechanism to deal with what follows a crisis.
Remaining busy.
We cannot offer ourselves grace when we have not seen many provide us an example of what that looks like. Too many of us are not only hard on ourselves, but we are also negative towards ourselves.
So how will being kind and caring for ourselves have chance to come into play?
I had to teach myself to slow down, to heal, to rest and to offer myself grace in times of intense difficulty. And I am still learning this.
Oftentimes we struggle with guilt for taking a break. And how many of you reading this find it hard to include a full Sabbath rest into your week?
Let us begin to give ourselves permission to live differently than our culture, to take needed rest days and to step away from the grind when life is challenging. Let us give ourselves grace without shame, or guilt or any negative self-talk that says we should rather be hard on ourselves instead.
I believe that caring for our body, a temple of the Holy Spirit, honors God. When we allow ourselves to rest, heal and to recharge, we will find our cups overflowing again. We will serve better with clearer hearts and minds, whole and healed.
But first, we have to offer ourselves grace to do so.