Hello to a brand new week of opportunity! Our Monday Motivation focus is the word ‘release.’ As you contemplate this word, give yourself permission to act on your thoughts. Bust open the doors of your rusty, musty prison and set yourself free!
Consider how you may imprison yourself by regretful decisions, old resentments, missed opportunities, or hurtful actions. Yesterday is yesterday. Continuing to punish yourself will not change the past.
Be proactive
Still, how do you actively release yourself? Let’s take a brief look at each scenario I mentioned above.
- Regretful Decisions. Okay, so you made a mistake. Odds are you will make many more because no one on this earth is perfect. Mistakes are part of being human. Have you learned something? Did you notice a behavior issue you would like to correct? Do you need to change directions? Listen to your internal GPS to know when to “make a u-turn and recalculate.”
- Old Resentments. Relationships have hurts. It is inevitable. Harboring bad feelings doesn’t punish the other person, it just punishes you. I once heard someone say that we would be surprised at how little others think of us. Let it go. Move on. Dwell on positive stuff.
- Missed Opportunities. There is an old saying that hind site is 20-20. Sure, we can look behind us and play the what-if game. But this is a no-win game. Even if we would have made a different decision, the outcome we imagine is just fantasy. Life is unknowable. We all make the best decisions we can with the information we have available. Regardless, God promises to make things right in Romans 8:28.
- Hurtful Actions. I am the worst at speaking before I think. Being schooled in the fine art of sarcasm is not a helpful skill. Learning how to ask forgiveness for carelessly spoken words is a hard lesson. But after a time, because it is SO awkward, I take a breath and think about my words before spouting them off. Believe me, it is worthwhile. I spend a lot fewer sleepless nights replaying conversations in my head!
Think self-care
But release doesn’t just apply to bad stuff. Sometimes we need to release ourselves from good things, too. Perhaps staying at your job, although it may be good, is holding you back from growing or taking a chance on your dream job. Do you need to move on to discover something new?
One last thought on release. Sometimes we just need a good cry! Why? To release the pressure on our emotions. The Bible tells us there was a lot of crying and weeping going on by great prophets, leaders, kings, apostles, and even Jesus. Releasing emotions is not negative or weak, it is an essential element of self-care.
Yell into a pillow. Cry yourself to sleep. God is listening and His mercies are new every morning!
“I am worn out from my groaning. All night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears.” Psalm 6:6
“Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.” Lamentations 3:23
“Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Psalm 30:5
“Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.” Psalm 126:5
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