Yesterday was my birthday.
My wonderful husband started my day with breakfast in bed. Fresh fruit, a cheese omelet, and coffee in my favorite mug. A fabulous way to greet the morning. Well, OK noon, since he let me sleep in 😉
Later that day, a dear friend gave me a leather-bound, inscribed copy of Sarah Young’s book, Jesus Calling. I’ve heard great things about this book and have been wanting to read it. This beautiful edition was a sweet and precious gift.
As my birthday came to a close, I found myself wondering what this next year will bring to my life.
I usually sleep like a log. But I woke up in the middle of the night and could not get back to sleep. I tossed and turned, thought about a zillion things I had to do, and fretted about how early I had to get up in the morning. After about an hour, I resigned myself to being awake.
I decided to take advantage of some very rare alone time. These days, my son wakes me up for his morning bottle. By the time he’s finished, my daughter’s woken up and come to snuggle on the recliner with her brother and I. Then our day is off and running, and rarely slows down. So this quiet, solitary time is hard to come by.
I thought about updating my website or working on a project. Then suddenly, Jesus Calling started calling me. So I sat down in my favorite chair and had a truly quiet Quiet Time with God. The first devotional talks about how our journey with Jesus is one of continual transformation, through the renewing of our minds. (Romans 12:2)
You see, God wants us to be transformed. He wants us to heal from past hurts. He wants us to be renewed. But that renewal doesn’t start in our hearts. It starts in our minds. To improve your self-esteem, you need to renew your mind. You need to combat destructive ways of thinking. And just as you start each day with a healthy breakfast, renewing your mind should be a daily exercise.
There are so many ways to do that: mediation, affirmation, Scripture reading. Therapy, uplifting music, running. The key is to find what works for you. And do it.
Take the time for yourself, because you’re worth it. Don’t get sucked into the trap of thinking that you don’t have time. You are just as important as everyone else in your life. If you have kids, I know you’d do anything to help them overcome a challenge. Do yourself the same honor. You’ll be glad you did.
