The Gift of Grace — Part Two

Giving yourself the gift of grace is the awareness and recognition that we are human “beings” and non human “doings”. We are not machines, automated gadgets or robots. There are times in our daily lives that we do run on empty and need to take the time to recharge, to rest or to fill our own inner tank. Giving yourself the gift of grace, in my opinion, is being merciful with yourself, self-compassionate and having “self-forbearance” if such a term exists. If we are merciful, compassionate and have forbearance towards one another, why can’t we be like-minded towards ourselves? Why do we struggle at times to accept our humanness and our limitations? One of the reasons could be our child-hood experiences? Are we exceptionally hard on ourselves today because of the inner-critic or critical parental voice ingrained inside of us, pressurizing us and pushing us to the extreme or barking inside our heads with the words “you shouldn’t have done this” or “you should have done that” or “why didn’t you do this?” and “why did you do that?” — leaving us feeling guilty, full of remorse, ashamed and embarrassed if we don’t live up to our own self-imposed expectations?

Could one of the reasons that we struggle to give ourselves grace, stem from other well-meaning people who project their own pressures on us and tell us to do such and such task everyday — no stopping!!!. When we struggle to reach those well-meaning targets on certain days, we feel like a failure and end up giving up because we believe our efforts are futile. Give yourself the gift of grace today. So what if you were not able to exercise 20 minutes on the tread-mill today? Remember how you beat your treadmill target by 10 minutes yesterday. So what if you were not able to tidy the house this morning? Remember how your home was clean and organized early during the week. So what if you were not able to write the chapter of book today. Remember the completed chapters you have written and edited before. Friend, give yourself the gift of grace today. Be kind to yourself even if you never completed anything from today’s “to do” list. Give yourself the gift of grace. You are not a failure. Take that time to recharge. Tomorrow is another day to start again. Yes, we may have “off days” but we are consistent. Being consistent during life’s ups and downs and twists and turns and stops and starts is success in itself. Don’t allow anyone to “guilt trip” you. Give yourself the gift of the grace. Verbalize your unique needs when you feel subjected to other people’s pressure and impossible demands. Give yourself permission to care for yourself, even when other people don’t care for you. Accept your needs when others do not. Give yourself the gift of grace today. Remember that you are moving forward not backwards. You are making progress. You are farther along today then you were yesterday or even last year. Give yourself the gift of grace. Be merciful towards your “amazing you”.

Today, I give myself the gift of grace. Today I grant myself permission to_____________ (fill in the blank)