One time I was talking with the Lord about something that I was having a really hard time with,
and I was almost “sick” from the “pressure” I felt from it all…
And regarding this thing,
I felt like I heard Him say,
“…It’s… no… pressure… it’s no pressure…”
And at the time I was like,
“…God? Is that really You?? Don’t You want me to do this thing in this certain way so that I don’t disappoint or displease You??”
But how often do we put an intense “pressure” on ourselves to “perform” a certain way, to do things in a “certain successful kind of way”…
Because we can’t bear to deal with Him being “displeased”… and we can’t bear to deal with the spiraling thoughts of self-condemnation, the guilt, or regret from not doing it “good enough”….
…but what if our Heavenly Father is actually wanting to RELEASE us from this kind of “pressure” ….a kind of “pressure” that isn’t actually coming from His heart in the first place? 💖 🍃
Because sometimes we can get ourselves stuck in that unnecessary, unhealthy pattern of “pressure”…
Pressure to do things a certain way…within a certain level of excellence…
Pressure to please…
Pressure to perform perfectly…
Pressure to “figure it all out“…
Pressure to be accepted, approved of…
Pressure to “be“…who we think we should be.
And I think God wants to begin to release those of us who’ve been “living” in this kind of pressure.
He wants to infuse us with something that will grow us so much deeper and healthier, and take us so much further than our own “drive” to do something “perfectly enough.”
He wants to release us from the pressure of feeling the need to “get everything right”…
He wants to release us from living in this kind of pressure, and He wants to soothe and heal these places in us, that we might learn how to live within the place of “being okay” within His unconditional love and acceptance.
Can I learn to be okay in His love, even if I feel like I’ve failed? Even if I’ve made mistakes that I want to beat myself up about?
Can I learn to be okay in His love, even if I feel as though I’ve missed the mark that I’ve set for myself, that I “should be” right now?
Can I learn to be okay in His love, even if I need to take a pause for a moment?
Can I learn, to not feel like I have to strive so hard for “perfection?”
Can I stop, and realize…
That as His Daughter,
my Heavenly Father is proud of me,
no matter what.
He has been pleased with me from my Day 1—long before any attempts at living this life, long before any failures and mistakes, long before any “successes”….
He loves me, no matter what.
And as His Daughter,
He accepts me, for simply being who I am in Him.
He ALWAYS delights in me.
And He wants the “pressure” to melt away….
In His loving presence. 💖 🍃
I am going to share something that I felt led to writing down into my journal this morning, in case someone else out there needs this too:
Heavenly Father… 💝
I am loved by You.
I am wanted by You.
I am important to You.
I am beautiful to You.
I have been given a purpose, by You.
I am cherished by You.
I am gifted—specifically and uniquely—by You.
I am able, through You.
I am accepted, by You.
I am approved of, by You.
I am remembered, by You.
You’ve never once forgotten about me, for I am always on Your mind.
And You have never once left my side, nor will You ever.
And You love me,
no matter my “current condition”—
Whether it’s a “good day” or a “hard day” in regards to how “well I’ve done” or “what kind of progress I have made”—You’re already pleased with me.
What You see about me, You are pleased with.
What You see about me, You rejoice in, You take delight in.
You love,
who
I
am
here and now
…just as much, as the “me” You’ve created me to be(come) and to grow into.
You love me “here and now” just as much as the “me” You have promised to complete and to “perfect” in Your way, and in Your time.
I know these things, Father. It’s all sinking into the places within me that have needed it. Will You make this revelation of Your unconditional love more and more real to my heart and to my mind, take me deeper and deeper each day, and in every way. You remind me that it’s perfectly okay for me to be “imperfect” and I can rest in the place of being “imperfect” knowing, that You love me, and that You see me as “perfectly imperfect.”
Thank You, Father. 💝
Your Daughter,
Heather 🌺