Well, it’s been a little while since I’ve posted a blog but this has been on my heart for a while now. I pray is changes your heart as it has mine.
While I was traveling the world serving God and others, I got some profound advice.
Don’t ‘should’ yourself.
I didn’t really understand what this wise person was saying until I looked at my life and realized I do ‘should’ myself a lot.
I used to be a worrier. Praise God He has released me from a lot of that bondage but I think some of that freedom came from focusing on not thinking the ‘should have’s’. I would worry about what people would think, what would they do if they found out my story and the brokenness within it, how would they treat me? And then I would get caught up in the should haves.
I should have been kinder.
I should have not screwed up like that.
I should have made a different decision.
I should have…and then the mind goes wild.
But the reality is, I did what I did and what’s done is done. And even more than that, what I have done, has been forgiven by God. And the really cool thing is, those ‘should have’ mess ups have created my testimony which is a tool for the Kingdom that God can use. He uses our mess ups to bring Kingdom lessons to others and to use us in ways we never imagined possible.
Just recently I had another ‘should have’ moment and immediately slapped myself on the hand. The reality of this moment showed me that when I ‘should’ myself, I let shame grab a hold of me. Ultimately, I’m letting the enemy have power over my mind.
2 Corinthians 10:5 says to ‘take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ.’ To who? CHRIST! Not Satan, not shame, not the ‘should have’s’. So as I focus on taking the ‘should have’s’ out of my thinking, I want to ask you to introspectively (or with an accountability partner) ask yourself honestly if this is something you struggle with. It can be anything big or small, seemingly insignificant or life changing…but no matter how small it is, if it brings shame or room for the enemy to creep into your thoughts and pull you away from obedience in Christ, then it’s something that needs to be dealt with.
I pray that the ‘should have’s’ in life have no hold over your mind and that your mind is renewed in Christ and surrenders to full obedience in thoughts that are of Him.
