In mom’s chapter in The Confident Woman entitled “Self Confidence: Journey of Hope, Faith and Heart,” I love her propositions to all of us to “live our best lives and not worry about how situations appear” (165). Sometimes acquiring confidence the way she mentions it seems like it’s easier said than done, but the more I read mom’s writings and even sift through some of my own devotional journals, I know that I’m on a journey making my way toward the prize of the high calling. Always moving forward though . . . trying desperately not to give up along the way.
Her second proposition, Be Accepting of Yourself, encourages us all to be true to ourselves and to trust the inner workings of the Lord to complete His perfect work in us. I can hear mom speaking Philippians 1:6-11 in my spirit now to remind me of her confidence in me:
6For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. 7For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me. 8For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, 10so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; 11having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
Praise be to God ~~
Mom says further:
The second proposition [Be Accepting of Yourself] is aligned with not allowing anyone to determine who you are, which means you accept and appreciate the God given gifts bequeathed to you. You must have faith to accept yourself. One definition of faith is confidence or trust in a person, thing, deity, etc. Acceptance also denotes faith, a belief in yourself. You must trust who you are and your purpose to be accepting. When you are accepting, you develop the ability to let the past go and to learn from the past. Then you can relax, be honest, and open.
Employing this concept means that you will develop an unconditional love for people. Regardless of whether a person is negative or positive, you will see some aspect of God in the individual. Now this is not easy and will mean new programs that can be implemented through the repetitions of such statements listed at the beginning of this article. To accept is to love. To accept is to forgive. To accept is to love your neighbor as yourself. Accepting of yourself means no judgment. Accepting yourself means you have to be attuned to the inner Spirit which means that God’s presence is always there. Accepting means to be not just to do. When you are you, others can be themselves. What are some ways that you can detect whether you are indeed accepting of yourself? Look in the mirror right now and say to yourself:
I love myself, I love myself, I love myself
I believe in myself, I believe in myself, I believe in myself
I am proud of myself, I am proud of myself, I am proud of myself
I am that I am, I am that I am, I am that I am
I love my neighbor as myself
When it comes to accepting oneself and being confident, I think of Deborah, a female judge and prophetess in the Old Testament. Deborah was known for sitting under the palm tree. She used to sit, reflect, and pray. These skills, I believe, were divinely developed in her in order to seek divine wisdom and insight to share with her people. Her name signified “bee”, but not one that stings but one that means industry, sagacity and great usefulness to the public, her sweetness to her friends and sharpness to her enemies. To me sitting under the palm tree, she was given “secrets of the Kingdom” which I also glean from the movie that I recently saw entitled “The Secret Life of the Bees.” Sitting under Deborah’s Palm has been my metaphor for accepting my contemplative leadership style for that was who I was. Sitting, reflecting, and centering myself in prayer induced me to respect myself and consequently to stand upon my conviction.
Another technique is to relax into whatever tasks that I am given. One way is to pay attention to my body. This is one of my favorite ways to renew myself in order to be ready for the day:
I am relaxed. Every muscle, every cell, every atom of my body is relaxed.
I am letting go and letting God direct and maintain my life and affairs.
I am resting on the Everlasting Arms.
I am taking dominion and giving the following orders to my body:
My toes are relaxed (flex the toes, tense them, turn them up toward the head and then consciously release and relax them).
My feet are relaxed (tense the feet and then consciously relax them).
My ankles are relaxed (tense the ankles and then consciously relax them).
My calves are relaxed (tense the [calves] and then consciously relax them).
My knees are relaxed (tense the knees and then consciously relax them).
My thighs are relaxed (tense the thighs and then consciously relax them).
My hips are relaxed (tense the hips and then consciously relax them).
My fingers ae relaxed (tense the fingers and then consciously relax them).
My hands ae relaxed (tense the hands and then consciously relax them).
My arms are relaxed (tense the arms and then consciously relax them).
My diaphragm is relaxed (tense the diaphragm and then consciously relax it.)
Now I am letting my shoulders relax, letting go of any burden I have been carrying.
I am relaxing my neck muscles (tense them then relax them).
My scalp is relaxed . . . my head is relaxed . . . my brain is relaxed . . . my mind is relaxed . . . my eyes are relaxed . . . my face is released. (Let expression go limp) . . . my whole body is relaxed.
Now in this relaxed state, I surrender myself to the Perfect Power within me. I realize that all of life continues without my doing anything about it . . .
I AM LETTING GO AND LETTING GOD!
(based on Your Needs Met by Jack and Cornelia Addington)
Finally, the practice of yoga has also helped me to accept myself in that the instructor does not enforce competition. You are told to do what you can – and not to compare yourself with others.
Affirmation for Proposition II:
I love and accept who I am and who I am is enough.
Well said, mom. Enough said.
In love and charity,
Giselle