the first cup
So you took that breath . . . . . now we coffee . . . literally, stop, slowdown, and go make a cup of coffee, or matcha take your time, come back and lets chat . . . . all settled? You didn’t get that drink did you? You skipped on through and started reading. Do you know why? Too busy? Don’t have time, your internal ‘pace’ is set to ‘get things done’. It is hard to slow down when your internal pace is set to push, keep going when your world is full of so much. With demands on time, resources, emotions & relationships, telling you what you need or how you should look, do or be.
That pace of life, if you are in it, is actually hard to step out of. Lets be honest taking a moment to breathe and have a cup of coffee might just seem near impossible.
That pace could be seen to some as ‘survival pace’. Surviving in life day to day. Going from one thing to the next and the next and the next. Having to be on top of so much, keeping up and keeping going. That conversation is going to require a second cup of coffee.
Today how about we chat about the Pace of Proving Self worth. A step on the way to that second cup. Yes I am writing this over a cup of coffee and a South African Muesli rusk ( if you know, you know).
So if you do not have the cup yet I will wait . . . . . . .
What do you believe about yourself? Because that is where you are operating from. Your belief of self worth, self value, ultimately comes from your interpretation of your environment and circumstances. What people say about you, what your relationships look like, what job you have, how much money you make and all other external influences.
Picking up what the ‘world’ says about you and what you need to hold value. Just think about that for a moment. All those voices are telling you what you should think about, what your life should look like, how you should look . . Says who???? I ask.
Just think of all those voices, all that pressure and expectation how loud it all is, jostling and pushing you, your heart, your thoughts. Pushing you into a rhythm and pace of life and self where you are continually trying to keep up, meet expectation and prove, yes prove ‘I have value, worth, a right to be here’ - exhausting.
But that might be where you are and you feel trapped. I am sorry if that is so. Perhaps it is time for a singular voice to speak. One that quietens all the noise, who’s opinion is higher that another and smiles on you daily.
Yes I am talking about God. Now before you click off or move on. Just take a beat . . . what if this moment, is an opportunity and a new door to open. Perhaps look at it this way, you have tried everything else and listened to everyone else just give this moment a small window of time. . . What if this is the difference you have been craving without knowing it?
God says in His word the Bible
“For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.”
Psalms 139:13-14 NIV
This speaks of the care and attention with which God has made us. The thought that has gone into us as created beings. He is our creator God
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”
Gen1:1 NIV
It really can be boiled down to - if you were created, you exist, then you automatically hold value, without lifting a finger or saying a word.
You are valuable and hold worth in this world.
We need who you are, where you were born, what culture you come from and your uniqueness of heart in this world to make it richer, fuller, brighter. You are rare and there is only one of you.
You, rare human, are a one off, never to be seen again. With your specific make up of characters, looks, quirks, skills, talents, sense of humour and most importantly HEART.
Rare heart - one not seen in the wild, speaks to us all being rare, even rare animals are seen in the wild every once in a while.
Our hearts are our centre of emotions, thinking and reasoning. Its the place where all of who we are comes from.
“Above all else, guard your heart, everything you do flows from it”
Proverbs 4:23 NIV
I get it, this is a lot to take in, but we are going to take it one cup at a time.
If you have a pace of life that is about proving self worth and value there is an opportunity to step off this treadmill and breathe. At its most simplistic this all comes down to who you are going to believe and what you are going to believe. Easier said than done after a lifetime of noise.
Believing what the creator God says about you or the noise of the world. That is why taking time to stop, breathe and take the simple action like making/ buying a cup of your favourite beverage can slow everything down. Bring all the noise down and allow that single voice to speak to you.
To just simply be.
A powerful step, a simple opportunity that builds a new picture and brings a fresh horizon that leads to open doors.
