3 Good Gifts: Grace, Patience, and Confidence

“You’re the hardest person to shop for!” According to my husband, children, and stepmom, I am indeed the hardest person to shop for. How would you feel if instead of another candle this year, you got something guaranteed to make a difference in your life? And what if you didn’t have to wait to receive it? Right now, you can give yourself 3 good gifts to help you get ahead—grace, patience, and confidence.

Perfection is fake

One of my girls is currently enrolled in an AP course, as a high school freshman. For hours, she reads and takes notes. Weekdays, weekends, always with the studying. It’s challenging and causing her to stretch. Am I worried? No, she’s doing great even if A’s are hard to come by.

Of course, my other daughter isn’t going to be beat either. Imagine you’ve never gotten anything less than an A in school until that one class. There it was, an 89 on her report card. Am I mad? No. Was she annoyed? Yes.

They get it from me. A few years ago, my entire family took turns mocking my exaggerated reaction to earning an A- in grad school. For real, I was completely bent out of shape because I got an A-. I wanted to graduate with a 4.0 from grad school, while working full-time, and being a semi-decent wife and mama.

Believe me, perfection is fake. There is no such thing and it’s not worth chasing.

Next time you’re feeling like a failure who isn’t good enough, messes up too much, should be better/quicker/finished, reframe the story. If your daughter or son was the main character instead of you, how would you react?

If you’d be doling out grace like confetti for someone else, give yourself the same.

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Real success never happens overnight

When my kids were babies, I didn’t expect them to walk, talk, and eat steak by 6 months. That would have been ridiculous. They needed time to grow and learn.

Why do we expect instant success from ourselves?

Give yourself time. Maybe it will take you longer to reach a goal. Or possibly, you’ll delay starting altogether. Either way, time is not your enemy when you’re being intentional.

Slow isn’t bad. Are you learning something new? Whether you’re a beginner or becoming an expert, learning takes time. Allow yourself to absorb new information, ask questions, and see the details you’ll need to know in the future.

Even if you’re on-hold or hit pause, trust God’s timing. Waiting is one of the hardest things to do, but we need to trust God.

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Trust yourself

Most of all, trust God and trust yourself. He designed you and he doesn’t make mistakes.

You were created to be awesome. And whether or not you’re comfortable admitting it, you are awesome at a lot of things. It’s time to start acting like it.

Do the things God is calling you to, without being ashamed.

No more fake humility or guilt. If God has given you a gift, it’s rude not to use it. You were created to do everything to bring Him glory and honor. Using your gifts and being who he created you to be is honoring his creativity.