Listen to the following “go-to: scripts:

Here’s one:

I forgot to prep dinner this morning- my kids are going to wind up eating McDonald’s= I’m a bad parent.

I snapped at my husband this morning because he left his clothes on the floor= I’m a bad wife.

I checked Facebook several times while at work= I’m a bad employee.

I ate too much chocolate late last night= I am lazy and lack self-control and I am fat.

My friend works from home and devotes all of her attention to her kids, I work full-time outside the home and I love my job= She is a better Mom than me.

My family argues too much= I am failing everyone. It’s my fault.

 

Here’s another:

I am a sinner, I always will be, I will never be perfect, it is an impossible goal.

I will look at my mistakes and learn from them.

I will look at my mistakes and give myself grace.

I will look at my mistakes and decide, with God’s help, whether there is sin that needs to be addressed or not.

I will ask God and others to help me do better with these areas.

End of story.

As Moms and women- we struggle so much with “good enough”…

We never think we are enough, we beat ourselves up for what we have done or forgot to do, or did wrong, or did not do fast enough…etc…

It is exhausting.

Ridiculous.

Unnecessary.

Exactly what the Enemy of our souls wants us to be preoccupied with…

I used to spend more time looking for what I did wrong and what could go wrong and how to prevent what could go wrong than I did anything else and  it wreaked havoc in my life.

It hurt my view of God, myself, my family, my friends, ministry, etc…

There are two viewpoints I have shared.

The first one is my old “go-to”, it seems to be my natural reaction…

The second is my new “go-to” and I am trying, I am changing, I am replacing that old, broken, record of how to view myself and looking to something new.

Isaiah 43:19: “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

Matthew Henry’s Commentary introduces Isaiah 43 with this:

“To so low an ebb were the faith and hope of God’s people in Babylon brought, that there needed line upon line to assure them that they should be released out of their captivity; and therefore, that they might have strong consolation, the assurances of it are often repeated, and here very expressly and encouragingly. (emphasis mine)

2 Corinthians 10:5:  ^“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (emphasis mine)

Who does the Bible say YOU ARE?

Do something with me right now- say out loud the following and tell me in the comments below how you feel after doing this?

I am God’s child: Galatians 3:26

I am Jesus’ friend: John 15:15

I am a whole new person with a whole new life: 2 Corinthians 5:17

I am a place where God’s Spirit lives: 1 Corinthians 6:19

I am God’s Incredible work of art: Ephesians 2:10

I am totally and completely forgiven: 1 John 1:9

I am created In God’s likeness: Ephesians 4:24

I am spiritually alive: Ephesians 2:5

I am a citizen of Heaven: Philippians 3:20

I am God’s messenger to the world: Acts 1:8

I am God’s disciple-maker: Matthew 28:19

I am the salt of the earth: Matthew 5:13

I am the light of the world: Matthew 5:14

I am greatly loved: Romans 5:8

We can do this ladies- we can stop telling ourselves lies and replace them with truth.

It is the only way, it is a work, it is a minute-by-minute battle and it is so worth the fight. The amazing thing is that this battle does not leave us exhausted, it leaves us empowered to be who God has created us to be without expecting perfection, with the ability to give ourselves grace and with the motivation to make needed changes with the help of God and others.

Stay Connected With Liz and Visit Her Blog

www.christianworkingmama.blogspot.com.