Be Patient With Yourself

Be Patient with Yourself

The LORD will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring. Isaiah 58:11

When Freda was young, her father had taken his own frustration about life out on her and would tell her not to expect to achieve anything worthwhile. As an adult, Freda’s way of overcoming that trauma was to keep in her purse a list of positive thoughts she had either read or heard. She would pull out the list every time the memory of one of her father’s sarcastic comments threatened her plans.

Some time ago, she struggled with wanting to take an interior design class at the local college. Finally, she decided to go for it, but when she arrived at the campus to register and saw the young, happy students choosing classes and buying books, she seemed to hear her father saying, “You’re out of your league.”

But this time, instead of agreeing with that mental tape and going home, Freda pulled out her list and read, “The past can’t hold you prisoner unless you give it permission.”

Taking a deep breath, she prayed for strength, signed up for her class, and headed for the bookstore. She was determined to replace her fear of failure with the excitement of achieving her dream. Soon that accomplishment opened the way for her to dare to reach more of her goals. —SANDRA

Lord, why do I listen to those old negative words when I have your words of encouragement and strength? You, Creator of the universe, Maker of heaven and earth, love me and want so much for me, yet I refuse to accept your blessings because I’m too busy remembering the mean things said to me in the past. You offer freedom. Help me to accept it.

The larger the God we know, the larger will be our faith. The secret of power in our lives is to know God and expect great things from him.

—ALBERT BENJAMIN SIMPSON (1843–1919), CANADIAN PREACHER, THEOLOGIAN, AND AUTHOR