Dear One,
Do you ever berate yourself for not knowing something you simply have not yet learned? As if you should always know how to navigate all the things life will require of you?
Last Tuesday morning, when the sun was still deciding whether or not to rise & shine, I was tucked into my little sacred space closet, lanterns all lit, talking to God about my upcoming day. One of the things on my docket was a 1:1 meeting with my Spiritual Direction Supervisor with whom I am apprenticing. While she’s all things gracious and kind, I was nervous. Anxious. I had this feeling that if I mess up (and I do!), I’m *wrong* somehow. Welcome to my baggage.
So, as I was sitting there talking this over with God, admitting what I’d rather not admit, I heard Spirit whisper sweet-somethings in my ear:
You are loved.
You are learning.
And it’s all going to be okay.
Suddenly, I could breathe. This statement brought expansion and freedom to the constricting fear I was feeling. The truth was evident: I haven’t arrived, I don’t know all the things, I’m not the expert with it all figured out. But even so:
I am loved.
(can I start with this premise?)
And I am learning.
(can I accept this permission?)
And it’s all going to be okay.
Oh friend, this truth is knocking on the door of my perfectionistic proving and performing patterns, “inviting” me to throw off the old falsehoods and fears in exchange for sweet freedom.
I am loved and I am learning.
(and the very good news is, so are you).
Grace abounds!
You might be learning to:
- Acclimate to a new job
- Parent in a pandemic
- Engage a spiritual practice
- Heal from trauma
- Begin again
- Care for yourself
Maybe it’s to:
- Care for a loved one
- Set boundaries
- Release someone/thing
- Ask for help
- Live with pain
- Navigate a scary diagnosis
- Grieve
Whatever it is, large or small, old or new, there is grace and so much of it! We may start from a point of not knowing, but hear me friend, we never start from a point of deficiency or defect. No, we begin already loved, with all the permission to learn. We simply don’t have to know all the things, all the time.
Loved & Learning: Our Little Life Words of the week.
DEEPER DIVE
Ponder:
- What are you learning?
- In what ways can you offer permission to yourself instead of demanding perfection? And how, loved one, can you do the same for others?
Practice:
- Learn something new with the permission to not do it well.
- When you feel like you’re failing, repeat after me:
- I am loved, and I am learning, and it’s all going to be okay.
Play:
- Our song of the week is: You Say by Lauren Daigle
Pray:
May I be deeply rooted and securely grounded in love (Ephesians 3:17).