Welcome to the final week of The Something Better Series. Bringing the stories of strong courageous women who have stepped out of the pain or dysfunction holding them back has been my honor. Read them here.
They are everyday women just like you and me. Somewhere inside they knew there was more to them than the enemy wanted them to believe. So they put one foot in front of the other. Grabbed onto the hand of Jesus, and with Him began walking toward their something better.
I pray their stories have encouraged and inspired you to believe that you, too, have a something better and it is within your reach. That a something better is possible for every single one of us.
For I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength. -Philippians 4:13 NLT
In today’s final post, I’m dipping my toes into the waters of bravery and sharing just a little more than I usually do of my own personal story. But it’s a story of getting unstuck so it fits and I pray it will encourage you and give you hope.
From the outside it all looked so nice. Handsome husband. Two beautiful toddlers. Financially stable. Active in church ministry. A smile wherever I went.
And it wasn’t as if that smile were disingenuous. I treasured my husband and my children. I was thankful for God’s blessings. And I loved nothing more than bringing joy to others so a smile was something I wore easily.
But what most didn’t know was that I lived enveloped within a curtain of shame. A shame that perpetuated the comparison of myself to everyone and everything around me. Physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
“Comparison is the thief of joy” – Theodore Roosevelt
When you carry a curtain of shame with you, the load becomes heavy. The days become long. And the tears become many.
Depression fights to nestle itself within the crevices of your soul. It hides from the world, but eats away at the person you were meant to be.
My past held so much that grieved my heart. Mistakes and missteps by a confused young girl. And painful rejection at the hands of those I thought I could love and trust the most.
Somewhere, at some point, I locked eyes with rejection and held onto its gaze. I received it as my truth and my identity. There I remained stuck for far too long.
Watching. Asking.
What is it that I am missing?
Why am I less than everyone else?
What will make me worthy of approval?
Life became filled with seeing the best of everyone else and the worst of myself.
Do comparisons leave you seeing the best in others and the worst in yourself? #getunstuck…
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When I look back I am amazed at God’s hand in my life even when I didn’t understand the power of His love. He gave me wisdom. Strength. Courage. Tenacity. Discernment.
I was a survivor. I survived an abusive marriage and a disease that nearly took my kidneys. I flourished in a teaching career while struggling through the financial impact of a divorce and medical bills. I pushed. I learned. I earned a Master’s Degree by scraping pennies together. I was a tough cookie. A survivor.
So I knew my thinking processes were not healthy. I knew I was stuck in rejection and shame.
I went to counseling. I talked with my pastor. I read books. I did the work.
It helped.
A little.
But not enough to tear away that tightly wrapped curtain of shame.
There was a missing piece. One enormously powerful weapon I had failed to use.
It was the weapon of
forgiveness.
Not forgiveness for what others had done to me, but the forgiveness of myself.
Maybe Jesus did forgive me for all that I had done, but maybe I could NEVER forgive myself.
I was in my own prison of defeat despite the fact that the key to unlock the doors was readily available to me through His grace.
If I could accept His grace, I could forgive myself.
Can you accept God's grace and forgive yourself? #somethingbetterseries #hope #comparisontrap…
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Until then, I was settling for a life outside of the power of His redemption and grace.
But God.
He gave me one moment where it all became too much. Every failure and every rejection flooded over my spirit. I didn’t know if, or even whether I wanted to climb back out of that ugly place.
But God
He gave me one friend who spoke truth in love and followed it by a plan of action.
But God
He gave me the space of a trusted environment. All the shame and all the pain that ravished my soul came pouring out in that space. Where two or more were present. What had been dark was now illuminated by His light. And the light is where the enemy can no longer hide. Victory was claimed on my behalf.
When I left that evening, everything didn’t magically turn to “perfect”. It can’t. It never will because with “perfect” we don’t need Jesus.
But that night, the cycle the enemy had perpetuated was stopped. Shame was replaced by His grace and truth. Rejection was given back to its rightful owners. I began the process of denying its power over my life.
It was a great big step toward my something better with Jesus.
Today? I’m living out my something better. I still have that handsome husband. Those toddlers are a teen and preteen and there is a third treasure in the mix. And I still have that smile.
But now, the curtain of shame has been torn away. Just like everyone else, life gets hard. Hearts get broken. Relationships disappoint and hurt. But I’m not stuck comparing myself to everyone and everything around me.
There will always be a certain lure of the familiar. Satan loves to use that to tempt us. When I do something brave, the temptation to compare myself to all the others out there will rear its ugly head. The enemy will whisper. I may even entertain it for a second longer than I should.
But God. He taught me to accept His grace and forgive myself. He taught me to speak His truth because it reigns over all other words ever spoken.
So I will speak this declaration of God’s truth. Will you speak it with me when the enemy prowls and forgiving yourself isn’t easy?
I am thankful to be a cracked and broken vessel giving a pathway through which Your power and beauty can shine through. (2 Cor 4:7)
My weaknesses are proof of your strength. (2 Cor 12:9)
I do not live to compare myself to another because then I will only be tossed into confusion (2 Cor 10:12) But instead, I strive to be an imitator of You, Lord, (1 Cor 11:1) seeking only Your approval. (Galatians 1:10)
You call me wonderful and marvelous. (Psalm 139:13-14)
I have no need for fear. (2 Timothy 1:7)
Need to catch up and read the posts you missed in this series?
Week 1 – What Does Your Something Better Look Like?
Week 2 – How to Get Unstuck with Grace and Patience
Week 3 – Leaving the Lies of Shame Behind
Week 4 – When Your Something Better Is the Thing You Fear the Most
Week 5 – Choosing Joy When Everything Falls Apart
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