Unaccomplished tasks stare me in the face this morning.

Reminders of my true heart attitude failures lurk close behind.

Overwhelm presses in heavy as I consider what I should have, could have, would have.

What regrets are you judging yourself over today?

Consider the last time a friend was vulnerable with you about her struggles, be they true failures or just perceived. What was your response? Did you judge her as harshly as you judge yourself?

Or did you offer her grace and encouragement? Perhaps you shared a reminder to take a break and start fresh tomorrow. Perhaps you pointed out how she really is doing well.

Why are we so kind to others yet so hard on ourselves?

Holding ourselves to impossible standards will always prevent our hearts from being at rest.

“And the Word became flesh…full of grace and truth… For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace… Grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.”

John 1:14-17

Grace. Truth. Jesus.

If Jesus offers us grace, then certainly we should offer grace to ourselves.

But here’s the deal: He doesn’t offer grace in ignorance. He is quite aware of the truth of our circumstances. He knows our bad attitudes, our stubborn laziness, our whiny complaints.

And He gives grace upon grace.

Grace of forgiveness. Grace of relationship with Him. Grace of a fresh start. Grace of redemption. Grace of all things working for good. Grace in beauty around us. Grace in His image in people around us. Grace in understanding our weakness. Grace in loving us for who we are rather than what we do.

He offers you grace, and so should you.

Today’s Seed of Rest

Make a list of truth and grace.

This might take a few minutes. If you’re as hard on yourself as I am, it could take a long time.

  • Make a list of the hard truth: the failures that are haunting you.
  • Whisper a prayer over each item on your list. Jesus, I release to You…
  • For anything that is actually sinful, write FORGIVEN over it.
  • For the rest, write GRACE to cover your shortcomings.