Choosing Hope and Cultivating an Inspired Life with Author, Mary Clewley
Day 86…
Our thought life can affect the way we see things.
Lord, may I practice a moment-by-moment belief that you are the cure for my unquiet, discouraged mind. Thank you for allowing the light of the Holy Spirit to fill the darkness within my soul. Lord, help me to practice positive thinking and living. Help me replace negative and fear-based thoughts with new ones. I release my fear, guilt, depression, anger and hurt to you, for you are powerful and mighty and take away my iniquities. You are omnipresent. Amen.
Day 83.
You are Valuable and Worthy.
There was once a young couple who started attending our church. Week after week they refused to take communion. When I asked the husband why they never took communion, he said, “because I’ve done too many bad things. I’m not worthy.” This broke my heart. Week after week he carried the burdens of guilt, worthlessness and shame into the church–where he sat and listened to sermons about acceptance and God’s love–and yet, he did not feel worthy of partaking in the Lord’s supper.
Sometimes this sense of lack of value and worth presents itself in a lack of physical, emotional or spiritual care of our bodies. Learning to love, accept and forgive oneself is an ongoing process.
One step at a time, one breath at a time, one minute at a time we can begin to call on God to erase our sins and free of us the baggage we carry with us. He loves us and says that we are valuable and worthy.
Ask God to show you ways in which you can be kinder to yourself today… ways to forgive and overcome the negative whisperings of the enemy–the one who would try to keep you from everything God has for you.
You are Valuable and Worthy.
Day 82.
Our Path to Wholeness.
Our path to wholeness is a long and bumpy road. We learn about ourselves, others and God through all of the tossing and turning–the detours and the dead-ends. Eventually, all the sharp edges are worn smooth as we choose to believe…
Prayer: Dear Lord, please help me recognize some of the negative messages that I repeat in my mind. Please help me to recognize that these are unproductive lies, serving only as barriers to my wholeness…wellness. They often manifest themselves as fear, which is the opposite of faith. I choose to believe, Lord. I believe that I am made whole through my relationship with you. Thank you for smoothing the rough edges in my life, for taking me gently through the bumpy roads, and for making me whole. Amen.
Remember–you are not your circumstance…you are who God says you are…Give Him thanks…cuz He thinks you are so special that He died on the cross for you! His Spirit dwells in you. You have the power to do great and mighty things… and to call them as they are, not what the enemy tells you they are. You have the power to take back anything that was stolen from you–because you choose to believe.
You are whole…because He says you are!
Day 81.
Only God Can Quiet Our Discontent.
We were made to crave God. We can spend a lifetime searching, trying, doing… feeling unfulfilled, like something is always missing, but the truth is… the discontent we feel is our soul thirsting after a relationship, a close communion with our Creator. Nothing else can quiet the discontent of a hungry soul like Jesus. We were made to crave a relationship with the Everlasting–our Holy One.
As you think about the “shortcomings” you feel in your life, pray this prayer:
Dear God, I am constantly reminded of my own shortcomings… always falling just a bit short…trying with my human effort to better my self-esteem. When I cannot do something right, when I fall short somewhere, thoughts of self-loathing and doubt plague me. They do nothing to build me up, nothing to give me hope for a better tomorrow. Please help me to change my thoughts. Help me to draw closer and lean into you when I am searching for a better tomorrow. You are the True Source of peace in my life. Only you can quiet my discontent. Thank you, Lord. Amen.