Posts that are more personal tend to be harder to write. I always need to do a little soul-searching while writing these posts. Although I am at an incredibly happy place in my life, I am struggling with a few personal issues.
So here it goes. I have been exceptionally unforgiving lately. I have been easily upset by others but mostly, I have been tremendously hard on myself.
I take a shuttle across the city to and from school every day. Mostly, I sit and read or catch up on email, but occasionally I spend the 25 minutes in quiet thought. It’s nice to have the white noise of the commute surrounding me while I sit and think. Today I got to thinking about how edgy I’ve been lately. It’s hard to describe but it’s a cross between anger, annoyance, frustration, defiance, and apathy {don’t ask me how I can feel all those things simultaneously}.
This roller coaster of emotions usually results in me beating myself up about every little thing.
Now, I could go on and on about what I’ve been doing wrong but instead of dwelling on my shortcomings, I’m going to focus on the case for grace. These are promises I’m going to make to myself and I invite you to make them for yourself too.
I promise to be patient. I will go forth and focus on approaching situations calmly. I will be composed when I react.
I promise to be compassionate. I will appreciate the uniqueness of others and I will treat myself with respect and kindness.
I promise to be forgiving. I will not hold grudges against others. I will give myself a break and not be too hard on myself. I will accept myself for who I am.
God forgives us unconditionally. Why don’t we learn to forgive ourselves sometimes too?