I was recently talking with a friend and she said something that resonated deeply with me.
We were talking about goals and dreams and what may be out in front of us that we want to attain. We were talking about how to get to those places and how sometimes we have to muddle through other things, let other things go, clear a path etc. before we can reach those goals. It was wonderful conversation soaked with truth.
I thought we were going to keep talking about big, personal goals and encourage each other to keep pursuing them. I thought we were going to go big picture. I was wrong.
She said something that rang a bell deep in my heart…
“I’m learning to give myself grace in the small, every day things. To celebrate those accomplishments, even if they’re small”.
Isn’t that good??
Don’t we wait until the BIG thing is checked off of our list before we cut ourselves a break and celebrate? Before we acknowledge that we’ve accomplished anything at all? Aren’t women known for being their own worst critics? For being so focused on the big, giant goals that we push aside the small steps that had to be accomplished before reaching that destination?
Here’s what I’m learning the older I get and the more that I make relationships with other women a priority…we are too hard on ourselves. Way too hard.
“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
If you struggle simply getting out of bed some mornings because of anxiety or depression, and you actually get up…cut yourself a break. Acknowledge that you just accomplished something. It doesn’t matter if it is a “hard” thing to anyone else. If it is “hard” for you, and you pushed through…give yourself some grace.
If you are fighting with your spouse 5 or 6 times a day and you have a day where you only fuss 4…don’t linger over the 4, celebrate the absence of the others. It’s a small thing that can lead to bigger things.
Mothers of young children, I hear many of you voice your desire to have your quiet time in the morning and get in your work-out, shower and start breakfast all before that baby wakes up. Some of you are drowning with guilt because you haven’t had your child’s 30 day pictures taken like everyone else has (bahahaha..ask me how many times I had my children’s pictures taken when they were babies) and now your child will grow up with low self-esteem because you didn’t document every inch that they grew! Stop!!! There are more of you than you think only getting a shower every other day and barely managing to feed your husband a bowl of cereal after coming in from a long days work.
If you’re that mom and you got out of bed and loved on your children today, celebrate that you took care of what was most important. If at the end of the day only 1 out of 8 things is ticked off of your to-do list, celebrate the 1 thing and start fresh tomorrow.
It’s important to set goals. To reach for the stars and move forward with vision and purpose. But, while you move forward, give yourselves some grace and acknowledge that even the small accomplishments are still accomplishments. It takes plowing through the small things before the big things can be attained.
God is in the small things and it’s in those achievements that sometimes our intimacy with Him is more tangible than others. It’s those small tasks that when achieved, draw out a quiet “yesssssss” and will draw our gaze to our Father, who is so pleased and just tickled, when we include Him in those mini celebrations.
He sees when we struggle to get out of bed but we do it anyway. He sees when we are unhappy with our jobs but we go and give it our best anyway. He sees when our anxiety tells us to stay home but we push through and call that friend anyway. He sees when we push away the cake in an attempt to care for our bodies. He sees when that baby has kept you up all night and it’s all that you can do the next day to simply brush your teeth.
“…my power is made perfect in weakness…”
In our weak moments, let’s let Him in and share that. We have a tendency to beat ourselves up and assume that God is disappointed when we struggle. That He is somehow never satisfied with our small steps. Not so. It is in our weakness that He has room to work. It is here that He shines through. It’s this place that we realize our need for His power and comfort and He delivers.
Every. Single. Time.
Let’s lean in. Be more like my friend and celebrate the small things. Celebrate with Him. He’s right there lending His power to help us push through. Then, let’s throw a little praise party as we accept the grace that He is handing us!
Simple Faith 