Refresh the Soul
AFFIRMATION
I Am Thankful for Who I Was, Who I Am Now, and Who I am Becoming
Because all are important to my process
I am thankful for who I was, who I am now, and who I am becoming.
We are constantly changing because that’s just the way we were created to be. Our bodies and organs change continuously, and if we’re doing life, which we are doing without often thinking, then our heart, soul, and mind are changing.
Who you were a year ago or even five years ago is not who you are today. Maybe your perspective on life, faith, and philosophy has shifted. That’s what happens. You continually change.
The fantastic part of this is that who you were is still something to be celebrated because it made you who you are today. Who you are becoming is also something to be grateful for because you are taking steps toward who you want and need to be.
Yes, you don’t know what tomorrow holds, or even a minute from now, but what you have learned thus far will get you through it.
The real question is, are you becoming who you want to become? When you look in the mirror, are you proud of the face staring back at you?
If you don’t get out there and define yourself, you’ll be quickly and inaccurately defined by others.
— Michelle Obama
It is also the more challenging thing to do — to maintain your course in life. Knowing who you are meant to be is one thing. Maintaining that course when parents, friends, colleagues, and society tell you to be something else takes determination, but the more you listen and believe in that Inner Voice guiding you, the more you’ll stay your course.
Sshhhh….do you hear it?
I sometimes find myself saying, “I wish I had learned that a lot sooner,” but the fact of the matter is I learned it just in time. Maybe my younger self wasn’t ready to learn that particular thing yet.
That’s the other part — who you become is still an open road. There is still so much to learn because learning doesn’t end until you die, so there is still so much for you and me.
Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming. — John Wooden
Journal Prompt
What have you learned in the last five years that has made you who you are today? How have you changed — physically, emotionally, or spiritually?
What kinds of challenges have you faced in recent years that have made you who you are today, and how have those challenges strengthened a part of you for who you are becoming?
Write about some of your characteristics for which you are most proud. How will they become assets for your future?
What steps are you taking now to become the best person you can be in the future? Are you reading books, taking classes to learn a new skill, or leaning into your spirituality to help strengthen your faith?
Press enter or click to view image in full size
May you always celebrate and be thankful for who you were, who you are now, and who you are becoming, always embracing the beauty of your continuous transformation.
As you journey through life, may you find peace in the knowledge that every experience and lesson has brought you to this moment. May you stay true to your path, listening to the wisdom of your Inner Voice.
May you celebrate who you have been, find gratitude in who you are becoming, and trust that you are exactly where you need to be.
always shares a weekly sermon, and this week, it includes a message of how people tend to exclude rather than embrace. It reminded me of a book I read many years ago, What’s So Amazing About Grace? by Philip Yancey. In the first chapter, he recounts a story about meeting with a prostitute at a coffee shop. At one point in their conversation, he and another member of their church ask if she would be interested in attending a church service, to which the prostitute says something like, “Church?! Why would I do that? All they do is judge me.”
In the sermon, Ron shared that he recalls a 93-year-old woman he was visiting. She began to tear up when he asked if she had a church. Why? At some point, the pastor of the church she attended excluded her and her husband by judging them, thus excluding them. That’s what judgment does. It is an exclusionary action.
Sometimes, when we are on our path to becoming, we are judged and excluded by others. The 93-year-old woman in Ron’s sermon stayed the course and became a woman who cared for many.
Sermon: Exclusion & Embrace
The outcast and the sinner, the victim and the perpetrator
May you know that you are loved because you matter
May your soul be refreshed.
I am thankful for everyone who stops by to read. I am a writer, editor, and painter.
