"The greatest victory a man can win is victory over himself."
- Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi
Who is your worst enemy and why? Were they unkind to you? Forgive! Do they think or believe differently than you? Understand! Personality conflicts? Humble yourself!
I was my own worst enemy for many years. From the time I was a child, I was filled with an innate sense of guilt and condemnation. Because my heart felt so weak I was ashamed. I internalized any criticism that was thrown at me (there was plenty of it) and I pretty-much believed whatever negative opinions were said about me. NOT ANYMORE!!!! There is NO condemnation for those who are in Christ. Do I still have faults? Yes! Are there still areas where I need to grow? Absolutely!!
I thought victory over myself and "dying daily" meant depriving myself of any happiness or pleasure to be found in this life. Yet how does that reconcile with "I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly"? I'm weary of interacting with killjoys. You know the type... anything you say is wrong, they always know more than you, your dreams and ideals are considered below them, you are never worthy of their praise. All I know is God made the eye to enjoy beautiful things, the tongue to enjoy many tastes. He made the ear to appreciate a variety of music and the body to carry our spirit so we could perform acts of kindness and dance in celebration of His goodness. These things are not meant to become idols or obsessions, but to enhance the quality of our lives. Embrace your existence!!!!!!!
I've put forth a lot of effort to ensure those around me felt my love. Now I'm learning to love myself. You see, I've come to know that unless I love myself, I cannot be truly selfless in giving to others. So I am speaking kind words and thinking happy thoughts. I choose to nurture my spirit and reward myself for a job well done- hey nobody else is going to do it!
For years I made the Devil's work of discouragement quite easy by driving myself so hard. With the love of God growing in my heart- I will silence the enemy inside.
Who is your worst enemy and why? Were they unkind to you? Forgive! Do they think or believe differently than you? Understand! Personality conflicts? Humble yourself!
I was my own worst enemy for many years. From the time I was a child, I was filled with an innate sense of guilt and condemnation. Because my heart felt so weak I was ashamed. I internalized any criticism that was thrown at me (there was plenty of it) and I pretty-much believed whatever negative opinions were said about me. NOT ANYMORE!!!! There is NO condemnation for those who are in Christ. Do I still have faults? Yes! Are there still areas where I need to grow? Absolutely!!
I thought victory over myself and "dying daily" meant depriving myself of any happiness or pleasure to be found in this life. Yet how does that reconcile with "I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly"? I'm weary of interacting with killjoys. You know the type... anything you say is wrong, they always know more than you, your dreams and ideals are considered below them, you are never worthy of their praise. All I know is God made the eye to enjoy beautiful things, the tongue to enjoy many tastes. He made the ear to appreciate a variety of music and the body to carry our spirit so we could perform acts of kindness and dance in celebration of His goodness. These things are not meant to become idols or obsessions, but to enhance the quality of our lives. Embrace your existence!!!!!!!
I've put forth a lot of effort to ensure those around me felt my love. Now I'm learning to love myself. You see, I've come to know that unless I love myself, I cannot be truly selfless in giving to others. So I am speaking kind words and thinking happy thoughts. I choose to nurture my spirit and reward myself for a job well done- hey nobody else is going to do it!
For years I made the Devil's work of discouragement quite easy by driving myself so hard. With the love of God growing in my heart- I will silence the enemy inside.
3 comments:
Trailady, I think you deserve happiness just as every other person deserves. Many people think they are more holy because they keep from doing a lot of things and refuse to have any fun. This is not how God intends. Fun at the expense of another is never right but harmless fun is good. We need to play and smile and laugh more. Life is tough on all of us! I think each person reaches a point where they accept themselves even with weakness and decide to live well.
"The greatest victory a man can win is victory over himself."
Wow Very True.
The person who masters himself is a winner. For he is out of the loop of the mundane commonalities of life. This individual lives, and not only exists.
Nice Blog
And as the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) put it similarly: "The greatest jihad is the conquest of the self." (Note: Jihad means struggle and not holy war)
And may everyone who is reading this conquer themselves.
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