Who are we? The question is whether or not we can accept who we are not: and therefore then able to accept who we are. The enemy always whispers in our ears that we are not good enough. We aren’t smart, good-looking, creative enough, etc. How do we silence those intense voices? You may ask.

I don’t have a manual called, “Steps to Silence the Dark Voices in Your Head.” But I do have some encouragement for you. We all make mistakes. We can lust over things we shouldn’t have. We can spend too much money on things or spend so much time on not feeling good enough for God, ourselves or others. We do this because we have a God-shaped hope that only He can feel.

Struggling makes us stronger. Sometimes we have to hit rock button to start looking upwards. We are in this life to learn patience, grace and mercy. We can be a blessing to others or they can be a blessing to us. But sometimes the blessing comes in a package. We don’t know what the contents hold and we get a paper cut looking before it’s ready to be open. But inside is hope, faith, love and opportunity.

I remember a time when I worked at a movie theater. I would do theater checks. And I have seen people asleep after the movie was already over. Or a guy fell down we had to help up. Or a person puked that we had to clean up.

The movie represents our lives. How many times do we sleep during the climax of the movie (or our lives)? Or we get sick and puke during the growing pains of life? Or feel clumsy and slip during a challenging time? There is no judgement. Just smile and realize that you are human and are learning.

One of my favorite quotes is by John Lennon, “Life happens when you are busy making other plans.” How true is this!

Don’t think too much. Don’t smoke too much. Don’t drink too much. But most importantly, don’t stop loving yourself. You aren’t selfish by loving yourself first. The captain of the ship has to make sure he is healthy before he mans the ship. What if he had pneumonia and he decided to still wants to guide a ship? Pneumonia actually can be contagious. So he would risk getting others sick and if the ship was sailing during a storm, would he have enough strength to control that ship?

I have had pneumonia before. You have no energy, which in return causes stress and a cloudy mind. A captain with pneumonia should call in sick that day.

I am not saying any time you are emotional not feeling well you should call in sick. I am not. But similarly to the captain, be patient with yourself and take the necessary measures for balance and peace in your life.

You may skip lunch with a good friend for a little TLC and go walk in the park with your thoughts and God. There’s nothing wrong with this. If you have a true friend, they will understand. But I would do this with caution until you know the person well or they could possibly think that you are blowing them off.

I wish as a society we could tell an acquaintance that we need a little TLC and they would not take it personally. I believe we are growing as a human race with more awareness and compassion in that area.

Stay blessed and loved and don’t forget to take care of yourself first to facilitate wellness and peace in your life.

Do you take enough alone for yourself? Please let me know what you think. Is there a such thing as too much alone time?

~Carly at My Ink Smears~

(C) Carly Wiggins 2018