Thank God For Me!

“I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.”

‭‭Psalm‬ ‭139:14‬ ‭.ESV

So it took me a while to write this devotional because while I can praise God for everything and everyone else, it’s difficult to give myself that same kindness. I’m a work in progress in that regard. 

As I reflected on why  my natural  reaction is to be hard on myself, I realized it was because of the way I saw myself. My focus is often on my flaws, mistakes and shortcomings rather than the way God sees me.

I saw a post on social media yesterday that said, “Today I was kind to myself, I complimented myself and gave myself grace. It felt weird”. That resonated with me as I reflected on my own insecurities. Are you the same way? Reflect on why that is. Who caused you to have a bad view of yourself? Was it your parents, siblings, friends, or teachers? What have you internalized from others that’s skewed your view from the way God sees you?

This has been my problem throughout my life. I’ve often internalized others criticisms of me instead of believing what God says about me. But no more. I choose to see the me God sees. I choose to celebrate my gifts and talents while learning from and correcting my mistakes. 

Through good and bad decisions I am fearfully and wonderfully made, despite what I consider shortfalls I am the wonderful handiwork of the creator of the universe. 

One of the ways I’ve shifted my thinking is by creating a daily list of “I am proud of you for...” prompts during my journaling time. Each day I thank God for three things and then I write down three things I’m proud of myself for. They can be as trivial as I’m proud of you for washing the dishes to something like I am proud of you for witnessing to your coworker. 

Today choose to be kind to yourself. Resolve to extend the same grace you have for others to yourself. If you need practice try writing a daily “I am proud of you for” list. Let me know how it goes and know that I am proud of you for choosing to be the authentic wonderfully made you.