Another post from Cassia "The Recovering Perfectionist": GOALS

I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. I'm done with being selfish and angry. I'm fed up with fear and doubt and anxiety. 

I'm moving on. 

I'm leaving my fear at the feet of Jesus and picking up trust. I'm going to stop dwelling on yesterday and start living today.  I am more than my problems. God is more than my problems. Together, we'll smash the walls of restriction, and build a palace of peace. I'm leaving behind who I was and becoming who I really am.  Strong. Joyful. Determined. Faithful. Obedient. Compassionate. Wise. 

Because beating myself up only hurts me more, I'm going to stop letting shame chain me, and start letting grace free me. 

The worth of souls is great in the sight of God. I want the worth of each soul to be great in my eyes too. I want to take off the mask of misunderstanding and see people as they really are. Good, powerful spirits, with unique gifts and talents. I want to see differences as marks of beauty. I'm tired of caring about what other people think of me. I want to live the right way, and be free to be myself.

The world says it's not ok to look weird. The world says you shouldn't dare to be vulnerable, but I'm tired of hiding. I'm  sick of being cooped up in a little box of frigtened emotions. I'm ready to spread my wings and take flight with divinity. 

If I say somethings  stupid, who cares? If I embarrass myself, who cares? If I mess up, make a mistake, I'm not going to let that cripple me like I've done in the past. I'm moving on from the past, and looking forward to the future. Cherishing every learning opportunity. Being excited just about life. Not being afraid to dance, sing, and laugh. Loving with my whole heart, for it is worth it. I'm stepping out of sadness and jumping into joy. 

What a beautiful day to live! 

Loaves and Fishes

I love the example in the New Testament of the miracle of the loaves and the fishes and the symbolism it has in my life.  When I give what little I have to serve the multitudes, Christ's power enlarges it so much that I come away with more than I gave to begin with...


...I have but to trust in Him in giving all I have originally and then have the faith to look around when it's done to see the miracles of the hand of God.

The Parable of the Cracked Pot

 

A waterbearer in India had two large pots, one hung on each end of a pole, which she carried across her neck.

One of the pots had a crack in it. While the other pot was perfect, and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the mistress's house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.
For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to her master's house.
The perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do.
After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream: "I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you."
Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?"
"I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your mistress's house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said.

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in her compassion she said, "As we return to the mistress's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path."

Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some.

But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure.

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?

“That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them.

“For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my mistress's table. Without you being just the way you are, she would not have this beauty to grace her house."