Underestimate:
To roughly calculate or judge something's value as smaller or less important than it is.
This may be "odd" but today's post, is a letter to myself that I felt worthy of posting. Maybe you needed to hear it too? This letter isn't a cry or plea for encouragement, just the fleshed out conversation I've been having with the Lord in letter form. It's something I'm still learning, but I've also come a LONG way from the self hatred I used to live in. I'm proud of myself for that.
Dear Jackie,
Stop underestimating yourself. Why do you equate your value in life to your education or accomplishments? You are so much more than a piece of paper that says you're smart enough to graduate college, you're more than your ministry, more than just your calling, more than what you think you are. You've spent so long going to bed defeated, your mind screaming at you for not doing "Better" or "more". The perfectionism you judge yourself with, isn't cute. The standard is not perfection. You're not Jesus and you're never going to be able to save every girl caught in captivity. You're not going to do everything right, but you know what? That's okay! His power is made perfect in your weakness. It's not even about your capabilities in the first place, it's about the allowance and space you give the holy spirit to move in and through you.
Did you know others don't see your faults like you do? Nobody cares that sometimes your prayers are short, or that sometimes instead of "amen" you say "Jesus you're pretty cool, we should get coffee sometime." Nobody thinks you're failing because you haven't saved every girl caught in captivity that you've come in contact with. Why'd you put that pressure on yourself in the first place?! Who told you that the weight of the world was yours to carry? Because they were wrong. People are championing you on, they're cheering for you as you do everything within your power to shine hope in dark places.
Did you know people look up to you? Did you know you're admired? Stop pushing people's words aside as "opinion" when they compliment you, encourage you and build you up. Believe people. Trust them when they say "WOW! you're beautiful." or "You're so brave for doing what you do!" I need you to be okay with celebrating yourself. Celebrate your accomplishments, it's okay to say "I did a good job, I did my best!" without following it with "I could have done more, though." STOP negating your wins with your own harsh self estimations.
You are worthwhile. You're good enough. You're equipped. You're called according to a purpose. You measure up. You are worthy of celebration. You're doing a good job.
Here's what I need you to do. Celebrate when you've done your best. Acknowledge when something good happens, and stop thinking how you could have done better. Stop cringing every time you don't harmonize perfectly. I need you to surrender your perfectionism. The model citizen that you've made up in your head, that you need to measure up to... get rid of it. Speak life and love and hope and truth over yourself. Not YOUR truth, not YOUR reality. God's truth, His reality. The way he see's you is... beyond description. If you would sit down and shut up long enough to listen to the Lord you'd hear the song He is singing over you, it's Beautiful!
Remember when He called you "little lion girl"... that still applies. You still have a voice that roars with influence, authority and love. You still have strength that can lead a pride. You still have a sound all your own, and most of all... your still HIS little girl. Get up off the dirty ground where you've thrown yourself with your words, and stand on the Rock of salvation. Stand, and look over the hills... do you see Him? He's calling for you to be fully you.
Because you were made for such a time as this, and being made for something... means you're good enough for it.
Don't underestimate yourself. Don't estimate yourself at all. Let God sing your worth to you nightly.
You're going to make it, you always have before.
You're just learning.
- Jackie
To roughly calculate or judge something's value as smaller or less important than it is.
This may be "odd" but today's post, is a letter to myself that I felt worthy of posting. Maybe you needed to hear it too? This letter isn't a cry or plea for encouragement, just the fleshed out conversation I've been having with the Lord in letter form. It's something I'm still learning, but I've also come a LONG way from the self hatred I used to live in. I'm proud of myself for that.
Dear Jackie,
Stop underestimating yourself. Why do you equate your value in life to your education or accomplishments? You are so much more than a piece of paper that says you're smart enough to graduate college, you're more than your ministry, more than just your calling, more than what you think you are. You've spent so long going to bed defeated, your mind screaming at you for not doing "Better" or "more". The perfectionism you judge yourself with, isn't cute. The standard is not perfection. You're not Jesus and you're never going to be able to save every girl caught in captivity. You're not going to do everything right, but you know what? That's okay! His power is made perfect in your weakness. It's not even about your capabilities in the first place, it's about the allowance and space you give the holy spirit to move in and through you.
Did you know others don't see your faults like you do? Nobody cares that sometimes your prayers are short, or that sometimes instead of "amen" you say "Jesus you're pretty cool, we should get coffee sometime." Nobody thinks you're failing because you haven't saved every girl caught in captivity that you've come in contact with. Why'd you put that pressure on yourself in the first place?! Who told you that the weight of the world was yours to carry? Because they were wrong. People are championing you on, they're cheering for you as you do everything within your power to shine hope in dark places.
Did you know people look up to you? Did you know you're admired? Stop pushing people's words aside as "opinion" when they compliment you, encourage you and build you up. Believe people. Trust them when they say "WOW! you're beautiful." or "You're so brave for doing what you do!" I need you to be okay with celebrating yourself. Celebrate your accomplishments, it's okay to say "I did a good job, I did my best!" without following it with "I could have done more, though." STOP negating your wins with your own harsh self estimations.
You are worthwhile. You're good enough. You're equipped. You're called according to a purpose. You measure up. You are worthy of celebration. You're doing a good job.
Here's what I need you to do. Celebrate when you've done your best. Acknowledge when something good happens, and stop thinking how you could have done better. Stop cringing every time you don't harmonize perfectly. I need you to surrender your perfectionism. The model citizen that you've made up in your head, that you need to measure up to... get rid of it. Speak life and love and hope and truth over yourself. Not YOUR truth, not YOUR reality. God's truth, His reality. The way he see's you is... beyond description. If you would sit down and shut up long enough to listen to the Lord you'd hear the song He is singing over you, it's Beautiful!
Remember when He called you "little lion girl"... that still applies. You still have a voice that roars with influence, authority and love. You still have strength that can lead a pride. You still have a sound all your own, and most of all... your still HIS little girl. Get up off the dirty ground where you've thrown yourself with your words, and stand on the Rock of salvation. Stand, and look over the hills... do you see Him? He's calling for you to be fully you.
Because you were made for such a time as this, and being made for something... means you're good enough for it.
Don't underestimate yourself. Don't estimate yourself at all. Let God sing your worth to you nightly.
You're going to make it, you always have before.
You're just learning.
- Jackie
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