08/16/2017
Here's tonight's homework from the study Becoming Myself. Say the prayer, then write down the answers to the second part. Try to see your life objectively.
Dear God, you know my story. You know my desires, and you know the places where I have begun to give up hope. Would you please come for me, Jesus? Would you please breathe life and hope into the places of my heart that need to be revived? I pray for your eyes on my life. I pray for the grace to believe more deeply that you love me completely right now, even before I have gained the victory and freedom I long for. Jesus, I invite you to continue to reshape the way I feel about myself. Holy Spirit, fill me this day and awaken me more deeply to you. I want to let go of shame. I want to let go of striving. But I’m not sure how that intertwines with still trying. I want to cooperate with you. And I want to be free and true. Please unveil the truest me. I need your help. Thank you that you are restoring me, Jesus. I look to you. In Jesus’s Name. Amen.
Yesterday morning, as I went for my daily walk/prayer time, the silliest thought went through my head. Thinking of the schedule for the many months ahead and what will be required, I actually said to myself, “If I were me, I’d hire a personal trainer.” Hilarious, right? If I were me? Hmmmm. Guess what, girlfriend—you are you. I let my thoughts run a little rampant. Looking at my life from a safe distance, I asked myself, “What else would you do, if you were you?” Turns out there’s a lot I would do. It was an interesting exercise. What would I do if I were me but didn’t have the responsibility to actually do the work? (I’ve always thought I could do a great job running other people’s lives. Just not so great with my own.) But what would I do with my own life … really? What would you do with yours? Who is the woman you want to become? What is she like? Ask God to begin to breathe hope into your heart that you can actually become her. By faith, we turn to him. By faith, we choose to believe that he hears our prayer. By faith, we believe he is good and is for us. By faith, we trust that though we may not see it or feel it, God is at work in us and for us. Because he says he is. (Becoming Myself, page 24)
