DAILY DEVOTIONALS for JULY
Saturday, July 19
- Scripture: Psalm 131:2 – “But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content.”
- Reflection: Surrendering our need to control and trusting in God’s care brings about genuine quietness and fulfillment. How do we surrender and allow ourselves to be vulnerable? One article offered the following insights (full article: https://www.verywellmind.com/fear-of-vulnerability-2671820):
- Embrace Your Authentic Self: Everyone has flaws, imperfections, embarrassing stories, and past mistakes they wish they could forget. People are insecure, awkward, and desperately wishing they could change certain things. That’s human nature. The trick is to realize that everyone feels this way. No matter how successful, how beautiful, or how perfect someone appears, we all experience the same awkwardness, insecurity, and self-doubt.
- Aim for Excellence, Not Perfection: You understand that others are imperfect, that they have good days and bad days, that they have flaws and blind spots and moments of weakness. That’s not what you remember them for. You remember their triumphs and shining moments and love and light. Why treat yourself any differently? Why beat yourself up for the things that you easily and quickly forgive in others? Why automatically assume that others will judge you more harshly than you judge them? One way to improve your ability to accept yourself fully is to aim for excellence without expecting yourself to be perfect. Treat yourself the same way that you would treat a friend or loved one. Show yourself the empathy and compassion that you would show others in your life.
- To Be Vulnerable, Learn to Love Yourself: Begin by acknowledging yourself as a whole human being—flaws, imperfections, and all. Own and embrace your past mistakes, while also remembering that they don’t define your present or your future. Apologize to anyone you feel you have significantly wronged, then move on. Forgive yourself. While this is often easier said than done, moving forward, try to live by a few simple truths.
- Remember You Are Important: Like George Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life,” the simple fact that you exist has a ripple effect beyond your imagination. You may never truly know whose lives you have touched and what the repercussions were, but they are there.
- Embrace Your Mistakes: Not only do your mistakes make you human, but they give you a wealth of experiences to draw on when helping others. Using your past for good is one of the strongest ways to connect with your entire self.
- Stop Trying to Prove Your Value: Humans, especially those with a fear of vulnerability, are always trying to show how worthwhile we are. We worry that if we don’t somehow earn our keep, people will stop caring for us. Invariably, we get exactly what we are unconsciously asking for: a string of people interested in what we can give instead of who we are.
- Avoid Being a People-Pleaser: Remember that you can’t be everything to everyone … Offer the most precious gift of all—yourself—rather than trying to be all things to all people. That doesn’t mean you should stop performing kindnesses for others but, instead, make offerings based on love rather than fear or self-judgment.
- Spiritual Practice Prompt: Understand yourself to be a child held gently in God’s hand. Rest in God’s love and care. Look in the mirror and say this affirmation: “You are loved. You are enough. You are content.”
Song:
- Trust in You by Lauren Daigle: https://youtu.be/5LGqI4nazkk?si=iATSseuHSyLrLYPE
Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light. ― Brene Brown
July 19 Devotional