The Authentic You

Most of us have standards for ourselves which are both impossibly high and yet shallow at the same time. We then attack ourselves for not being “perfect” in some way that won’t even matter in five years. Those attacks become habits and those habitual criticisms create a false self-image inside ourselves.

Be watchful of your thoughts- guarding your mind so ugly thoughts about yourself don’t become comfortable ruts that you stay in, over and over, until you’re stuck. Get out of the rut of false expectations and criticizing yourself for shallow failures.

Part of healing from this is accepting reality- your strengths, your weaknesses, the parameters of your situation. Another step in changing this cycle is by replacing negative thoughts with new thoughts.

Let the Jesus prayer be your “go to” thought.

Lord Jesus Christ have mercy upon me a sinner.

Be brave, be humble, just pray and let yourself be authentic with your Creator. Is that scary? He knows that authentic you and loves you.

That authentic you is a beautiful child of God.

Originally published on our blog for Woven on Engage Orthodoxy