O God, help me believe the truth about myself, no matter how beautiful it is.”- Macrina Weidekehr, Seasons of Your Heart
“It’s a wild and wonderful thing to bump into someone and realize it’s you.”- Fil Anderson
In Chapter 19 (“Come Home to Yourself”) of The Next Right Thing, Emily P. Freeman first reviews the various people we turn to in our struggle with decisions. But, Emily observes, there’s another person walking with you on your path. And that person may not be as obvious to you, as the author explains:
“Too often the relational interaction we engage in the most is also the one that is most often ignored. It’s the relationship we have with ourselves. . . . When life becomes unpredictable and unsure, it’s easy to scatter apart in panic, to come undone, to be spread too thin, to forget who and where we are. This is good for exactly no one. . . . What if your next right thing is to settle in right where you are and come back to yourself? Sound strange? Consider this: the only person you’re guaranteed to be with every day of your life is you. It doesn’t get much more home than that. So maybe it’s time to make peace.
Yet, it’s not always easy to come home to ourselves. Perhaps, Emily suggests, we need to stop standing on the front porch of our soul and bullying ourselves. Instead, we need to be a gracious host/hostess to ourselves at the threshold of our own soul.
As a result, maybe your next right thing consists of recognizing all the ways you:
- become your own enemy
- put No Trespassing signs on the windows of your soul
- become suspicious and furrow-browed
Most noteworthy, as you become a soul minimalist, that process clears out the clutter that piles up from your daily life. Also, it helps you pay attention.
So, when people sincerely offer a kind word about you, practice listening. See if their words possible carry a clue to your design. For coming home to yourself sounds soft and gentle, it feels safe and settled.
Today’s question: What Bible verses help you believe the truth about yourself? Please share.
Coming Monday: the July Short Meditation, “The Ark Encounter – Noah walked with God”
Tomorrow’s blog: “Pick what you like – see how it grows”
