Choosing My Connections Intentionally

 I love how God protects me from myself. When I go down that hole of self-doubt and focus on the not enough, He will give me just the word I need. I am His. This is why I make it a priority to get up with the sunrise and spend time in relationship with Him. That grounds me for the day, for life, and reminds me that I am enough as His daughter. That doesn’t mean I don’t need to continue to strive to correct my missteps or that I am laying my head on my pillow at night feeling accomplished. I am loved even in my off track moments which are a part of every day.  

Each of us is our own worst critic. That is a good thing if it is constructive criticism sprinkled with a few atta boys to acknowledge where we are getting it right. What we shouldn’t do is pound ourselves over the head with the yardstick of not measuring up. That stops our forward motion and defeats us. Too often we find ourselves in this negative space. Which is why it is so important to pause and spend time each day to connect with our faith, our Father. It is about a relationship, not a religion. It is not required but desired. When we don’t spend time on connections the fray and aren’t as strong as they could be. The reason we are in relationships is to connect us to people that strengthen us, bring us joy and make us better versions of ourselves. So why do we neglect not only our time with our Father but also time with the people who lift us? As curious is why we devote time to relationships that defeat us or move us down not up? 

Perhaps the answer to the second question relates back to the self-doubt. We tell ourselves that we can fix the relationship if we just do the right things. We get caught up looking in the mirror rather than admitting that the other person does not contribute to our joy. 

Yesterday I cleaned out my refrigerator. There were foods in there that I thought I would make use of. But it just never happened. I could let it sit a bit longer in my fridge since I had invested to put it there. The truth is that today is garbage day and those items were well beyond there keep zone. Some of them were even beginning to stink up the fresh foods. I rid out foods from my fridge, clothes in my closet, and other household items that I no longer use. What I need to do is rid out people in my life that drag me down and give more time to those relationships that build me up. In healthy relationships there is desire for connection on both sides and a desire to lift one another. Jesus is my coffee chat most mornings but I feel blessed for those people in my life that are just the connections that bring a smile to my face. I pray I am a positive for them as much as they are for me. 

In Him,

Joyful