DON'T "SHOULD ON" YOURSELF

Have you thanked Him?

Have you praised Him?

Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?

Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?

1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)

The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

While in Hudson Ohio Saturday, I heard something I hadn’t heard for a minute…

“Don’t “should on” yourself…”

Like that?

I do.

In fact, yesterday in service at my home church, “moving forward” from a “redeemed past” was mentioned not only during the teaching but in worship as well! 

And moving on, "living in the windshield", as I like to say it demands that we don’t “should on” ourselves.

I “should have” done this. 

I “should have” NOT done that.

Other versions are:

"If only I hadn’t"…

"What if I would have decided differently?"

Don’t ever do that; don’t “should” on yourself.

Each new day of your life is a gift from God that He wants you to live IT fully. 

But if the pain you’ve suffered in your past is still impacting your life now, you can’t fully embrace the new life God offers you because you’ll be stuck in a frustrating cycle of brokenness that leaves you feeling hopeless.

Too much “shoulding”…

Therefore, let’s simply move those shoulds to coulds…

You “could” instead…

…ask God to break the hold that your past has over you and show you what useful lessons you can learn from it so you can begin moving forward. God is much more powerful than your history, and when you trust Him, God will start to transform your pain into healing and wisdom in your life.

You “could” decide to…

…leave shame behind and silence the voice of shame in your life so it won’t block the healing that God wants to give you. Listen to the Holy Spirit’s voice telling you that God loves you completely and unconditionally, regardless of what has happened in your past. Even though God knows the worst about you, He chose to redeem you anyway.

You then could…

…choose to trust God’s promise that He loves and accepts you unconditionally. Rather than trying to reach God through your own efforts, trust in His grace.

Remember my dear friends… 

God sees past your past sin when He looks at you; He focuses on the fact that you’re one of His beloved children.

So…

No “shoulding on” yourself today.

Embrace some “coulds”…

I mean you could simply begin today by…

forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead – Philippians 3:13 (ESV)

Right?

Have a blessed day!

I love you all

OPPORTUNITIES for HOPE