Ever feel like you’re being shouted at?
That you’re not good enough – and never will be?
Ever feel like you’re being measured by an invisible standard – and you will never, ever match up?
….
Do more: Do less. Get thinner. Get smarter. Get richer. Get moving. Go slow.Cut your carbs. Cut your emissions. Cut your hair. Cut your bills. Love your body. Change your body. Change your decor. Change your life. Take charge. Let go. Man up. Feel like A Woman, Talk Like A Guy. Manage your diary. Seize the moment. Learn to live. Die Trying. Boost your brain power. Look after your family. Work harder. Work more efficiently. Sell yourself. Sell your home. Stop Controlling. Take It Back. Be Brave. Feel the Fear. Have It Your Way. Think Different. Get the Feeling.
….
Mark 6:31: Jesus says:
‘Come with me
Just bring yourself.
Come to a quiet place.
And I will give you rest‘.
Yes, I hear that and I often feel I am being shouted at. Hard thing is that I am shouting at myself! For not matching up to some undiscernible standard. I need to learn how to switch the shouting off but usually my own self frustration makes me shout even louder and the cycle of destruction continues….
I like this Emma. I’ve recently been thinking about all the contradictory messages women’s magazines give out – for example they celebrate women who have 15 children and own a business and are part-time marathon runners but then tell you to simplify your life! I love magazines but am glad I’m not reliant on them for guidance as it would drive me crazy.
I don’t feel like I’m being shouted at, I AM being shouted at! I’m constantly shouting at myself and often punishing myself in different ways. I do need that rest! thank you Emma xx
Heading off for a retreat day tomorrow, now with these timely words in my head. Thank you.
Oh yes, I am constantly shouting at myself, sometimes I can shout back but i realise only with Jesus I can win this fight. Thank you for bringing me back to the true voice!
Jojo, Hend and Lyra – I agree, the voices that shout loudest are the internal ones. I think that’s part of why God puts us in community: when we share our struggles others can help us fight: but when we keep it inside, it’s much harder to hear the truth.
Ma Belle – yes, incredible how contradictory these messages are: and they’re often mirrored in thinking that holds opposite views too. For example, in EDs the desire to make yourself smaller but also stand out.
Fiona – hope the retreat is a time of blessing and refreshment