Hey friends.
If you're reading this right now, I want you to know that I appreciate the respect, the support, and the encouragement you pour over me just by taking the time to read my typed out thoughts on your computer screen. It means the world.
This post, however, is going to be a little different than all my others. And by that, I mean that it's going to be pretty personal. I believe in every sense that we were all created for community. We were not created to live this life alone, and I refuse to believe the lie that Satan constantly tries to feed me by telling me I can handle everything on my own. That is NOT true- for me OR for you. If I had to make a list of those who have blessed me in my everyday life, the list would be endless. Community is such a blessing, a gift, and something to intentionally partake in each and every day! There are so many people who have made my life all the more worth living. You, yes you, have blessed others, whether you're aware of this or not. Sometimes your presence is a blessing in and of itself. Really and truly- believe that.
This semester has been the absolute worst and the absolute best of my entire academic career. This is my third 18 hour semester. To say the workload is heavy would, unfortunately, be an understatement. Quite frankly, I'm honestly surprised that my hair isn't grey. On top of that, I made more commitments than what I can count on my fingers this semester as well.
Learning to say no is probably one of the biggest challenges that I've ever had to face in order to overcome. I find great joy in and have an immense love for giving, helping, and pouring into the lives of others. I am so passionate about investing into the lives of people and being intentional in my relationships with them. I'm a people person...and a people pleaser.
My problem, however, is not that I say yes because I would feel bad if I were to say no. My problem is I say yes because I want to say yes- to everything.
My academics are so important to me. I understand that my grades do not define me, but I am the studious type. I love studying and learning more by the day. Even better, I love challenging my theology. Making the decision to major in Theology has rewarded me in an infinite number of ways. I am pursuing this opportunity endlessly to say the least.
However, my priorities are just as equally important to me as my academic career. If I don't have the time, I make it. If I can't make the time, I force it anyway. I believe that the opportunities I receive are things that God has equipped for me to handle. That's true and all, but I'm slowly and surely learning that if you don't have the time to rest in His presence and renew yourself in His goodness, there is no absolute way you'll be able to eat all the other things on your plate without having to force feed.
And as of lately, I've been a force feeder.
I simply have not had the time to myself that I need in order to properly nurture my own self. And at the same time, with that being said, I haven't been making time for that, either. It's never been one of my top priorities. I care more about putting others before myself than I do putting myself before others. I know a lot of you can relate to this. And if you're anything like me, you start to feel yourself running dry soon before long. That feeling of emptiness starts to grow a little more each day because you continue to water it with the things that are draining you- probably the things you find great joy in. I've learned over the past few days that even the things you are passionate about can completely drain you and make you feel empty. In the end, the commitments I made were things my heart was no longer passionate about. Not because I was never passionate about them to begin with, but because I had become numb to the love I had once had for those things. Not having time for myself and constantly going, going, going and doing, doing, doing was wearing me out. I was either studying, tending to my commitments, taking a break to eat a meal, or sleeping.
I cannot stress enough how important it is to take care of yourself. This especially goes for all the people pleasers out there- myself included. You HAVE to take care of yourself in order to be able to take care of someone else. Pleasing others is wonderful, but you should not do it at your own expense. In order to love others, you must first learn to love, like, and care for yourself. It's that simple. And in this case, simple is oh so good! If you don't take care of yourself, not only are you not being fair to yourself, but your also not being fair to those you are pouring into. You're hurting yourself.
If you can't invest the proper amount of time you need for yourself in your own individual life, there's no way you are properly investing in the lives of others like you potentially could be doing. If you feel yourself running dry I suggest you stop, take a step back, and BREATHE. Yes, you can take a step back. It is OKAY! Love yourself enough to do this. People will respect you all the more if you are able to tend to your own needs for the sake of your emotional and spiritual well being. I'm telling you this because I have taken a step back from a number of commitments and because of that, I have been able to better care for myself so that I can better take care of others. I want to pour the best of me into the lives of others, but if I am not the best for myself it won't just magically appear when it's time to be the best for them.
Take care of yourself. Seriously. I won't sit here and say that I was able to avoid the emotional breakdown attached with becoming completely drained. I was at the lowest I have ever been in quite some time. At first, I couldn't quite understand why I was in this state or where the feelings were even coming from, but after lots [and lots] of prayer, it occurred to me soon enough that I simply did not have enough time in the day to even sit down and enjoy time with and for myself. I wasn't taking care of myself like I should have been doing from the very beginning. Needless to say, my eyes were finally opened to a beautiful, refreshing light and I have since then started to stress less, worry less, and focus more on my emotional and spiritual well being altogether.
Take care of yourself
4 simple words that can sustain you with the best, the healthiest, and the strongest version of you- the version of yourself that you need in order to keep moving forward
I truly cannot say this enough
Wash yourself with God's love.
Pamper yourself with God's goodness.
Relax in His presence.
Enjoy His creation.
You are not selfish for not being able to tend to a commitment because you need time to yourself. Refreshing yourself and refilling your heart with God's love is vital. Know this! When you are making the time to refresh, renew, and recharge, you are better preparing yourself for serving others. When you allow time for yourself, you are also allowing God to better equip you for a heart of selflessness. Not only that, but you are also allowing Him to refill your heart with all the more of His love so that you can start fresh and pour it into the hearts of others with your newly refreshed self as well. His joy makes our joy full. By taking care of yourself, you are allowing Him to take care of you as well.
Surrender.
Let God wrap His arms around you while you take a breather.
Let Him hold you.
Let Him nurture you.
Let Him breathe life into you.
No one, and I mean no one, can take better care of yourself that your God can, will, and does.
Sometimes the hardest things to do are the things that are best for you.
"He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake." -Psalm 23:3
Take care of yourself.
Surrender.
Peace and Grace,
Emily Lauren
If you're reading this right now, I want you to know that I appreciate the respect, the support, and the encouragement you pour over me just by taking the time to read my typed out thoughts on your computer screen. It means the world.
This post, however, is going to be a little different than all my others. And by that, I mean that it's going to be pretty personal. I believe in every sense that we were all created for community. We were not created to live this life alone, and I refuse to believe the lie that Satan constantly tries to feed me by telling me I can handle everything on my own. That is NOT true- for me OR for you. If I had to make a list of those who have blessed me in my everyday life, the list would be endless. Community is such a blessing, a gift, and something to intentionally partake in each and every day! There are so many people who have made my life all the more worth living. You, yes you, have blessed others, whether you're aware of this or not. Sometimes your presence is a blessing in and of itself. Really and truly- believe that.
This semester has been the absolute worst and the absolute best of my entire academic career. This is my third 18 hour semester. To say the workload is heavy would, unfortunately, be an understatement. Quite frankly, I'm honestly surprised that my hair isn't grey. On top of that, I made more commitments than what I can count on my fingers this semester as well.
Learning to say no is probably one of the biggest challenges that I've ever had to face in order to overcome. I find great joy in and have an immense love for giving, helping, and pouring into the lives of others. I am so passionate about investing into the lives of people and being intentional in my relationships with them. I'm a people person...and a people pleaser.
My problem, however, is not that I say yes because I would feel bad if I were to say no. My problem is I say yes because I want to say yes- to everything.
My academics are so important to me. I understand that my grades do not define me, but I am the studious type. I love studying and learning more by the day. Even better, I love challenging my theology. Making the decision to major in Theology has rewarded me in an infinite number of ways. I am pursuing this opportunity endlessly to say the least.
However, my priorities are just as equally important to me as my academic career. If I don't have the time, I make it. If I can't make the time, I force it anyway. I believe that the opportunities I receive are things that God has equipped for me to handle. That's true and all, but I'm slowly and surely learning that if you don't have the time to rest in His presence and renew yourself in His goodness, there is no absolute way you'll be able to eat all the other things on your plate without having to force feed.
And as of lately, I've been a force feeder.
I simply have not had the time to myself that I need in order to properly nurture my own self. And at the same time, with that being said, I haven't been making time for that, either. It's never been one of my top priorities. I care more about putting others before myself than I do putting myself before others. I know a lot of you can relate to this. And if you're anything like me, you start to feel yourself running dry soon before long. That feeling of emptiness starts to grow a little more each day because you continue to water it with the things that are draining you- probably the things you find great joy in. I've learned over the past few days that even the things you are passionate about can completely drain you and make you feel empty. In the end, the commitments I made were things my heart was no longer passionate about. Not because I was never passionate about them to begin with, but because I had become numb to the love I had once had for those things. Not having time for myself and constantly going, going, going and doing, doing, doing was wearing me out. I was either studying, tending to my commitments, taking a break to eat a meal, or sleeping.
I cannot stress enough how important it is to take care of yourself. This especially goes for all the people pleasers out there- myself included. You HAVE to take care of yourself in order to be able to take care of someone else. Pleasing others is wonderful, but you should not do it at your own expense. In order to love others, you must first learn to love, like, and care for yourself. It's that simple. And in this case, simple is oh so good! If you don't take care of yourself, not only are you not being fair to yourself, but your also not being fair to those you are pouring into. You're hurting yourself.
If you can't invest the proper amount of time you need for yourself in your own individual life, there's no way you are properly investing in the lives of others like you potentially could be doing. If you feel yourself running dry I suggest you stop, take a step back, and BREATHE. Yes, you can take a step back. It is OKAY! Love yourself enough to do this. People will respect you all the more if you are able to tend to your own needs for the sake of your emotional and spiritual well being. I'm telling you this because I have taken a step back from a number of commitments and because of that, I have been able to better care for myself so that I can better take care of others. I want to pour the best of me into the lives of others, but if I am not the best for myself it won't just magically appear when it's time to be the best for them.
Take care of yourself. Seriously. I won't sit here and say that I was able to avoid the emotional breakdown attached with becoming completely drained. I was at the lowest I have ever been in quite some time. At first, I couldn't quite understand why I was in this state or where the feelings were even coming from, but after lots [and lots] of prayer, it occurred to me soon enough that I simply did not have enough time in the day to even sit down and enjoy time with and for myself. I wasn't taking care of myself like I should have been doing from the very beginning. Needless to say, my eyes were finally opened to a beautiful, refreshing light and I have since then started to stress less, worry less, and focus more on my emotional and spiritual well being altogether.
Take care of yourself
4 simple words that can sustain you with the best, the healthiest, and the strongest version of you- the version of yourself that you need in order to keep moving forward
I truly cannot say this enough
Wash yourself with God's love.
Pamper yourself with God's goodness.
Relax in His presence.
Enjoy His creation.
You are not selfish for not being able to tend to a commitment because you need time to yourself. Refreshing yourself and refilling your heart with God's love is vital. Know this! When you are making the time to refresh, renew, and recharge, you are better preparing yourself for serving others. When you allow time for yourself, you are also allowing God to better equip you for a heart of selflessness. Not only that, but you are also allowing Him to refill your heart with all the more of His love so that you can start fresh and pour it into the hearts of others with your newly refreshed self as well. His joy makes our joy full. By taking care of yourself, you are allowing Him to take care of you as well.
Surrender.
Let God wrap His arms around you while you take a breather.
Let Him hold you.
Let Him nurture you.
Let Him breathe life into you.
No one, and I mean no one, can take better care of yourself that your God can, will, and does.
Sometimes the hardest things to do are the things that are best for you.
"He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake." -Psalm 23:3
Take care of yourself.
Surrender.
Peace and Grace,
Emily Lauren