Drop IT!

Part Two

Last month we discussed the story of the Samaritan woman and how one encounter with Jesus was all that it took to fill her deep internal void. She accepted the living water that Jesus offered and walked in her new found freedom.

Today, I am sharing ways that we attempt to fill our own voids and provide some strategies to drop them once and for all!

Five husbands, now in relationship #6.

Before we judge the woman at the well, let’s examine the thirst in our own lives. At some point, we have all attempted to fill our own voids. We think we’re grown and we’ve got this! We refuse to listen to Jesus or anyone with sound advice. Raising my hand, both of them!

How many times have we gone from one relationship to another? We think that the last person is the reason we’re unfulfilled. We keep searching for someone who will love us and heal all the pain of our past, yet we are disappointed time and time again. It becomes a vicious cycle as we never stop long enough to realize that WE are the common denominator in every situation we find ourselves in. Seeking love and validation from a place of brokenness never ends well. The truth is, this void is too deep and was never intended to be filled by people, places or things anyway.

Ways we attempt to fill our own void:

• Seek another person to complete us, allow them to shape our identity
• Give our ALL (mind, body, soul, time and money) to someone that wasn’t supposed to even make it past hello! We look up months and even years later and wonder…how did I get here?
• Allow someone else to define our worth and value, embrace it as truth and live our lives accordingly
• Enter relationships despite red flags, warning signs, wise counsel and even sirens! We allow our desperation and low self-esteem to lead us to a place called nowhere.
• Buy things that are not within our budget to signify our value or compete for attention…a perpetual state of living from paycheck to paycheck
• Make decisions based on our flesh and feelings then ask God to cosign.
• Turn to drugs, alcohol and/or illicit behavior
• Alter our appearance and lower our standards in order to fit in or be accepted

My advice to you…DROP IT! (which also means to abandon or discontinue something)

Give up the need to be enough, accepted, or validated by someone else. That was already taken care of before you were even born.

Be finished with seeking approval, from anyone…ever again! Does God approve of you?

Retire from enduring unnecessary pain, breaking your own heart and giving the same person unlimited chances to keep hurting you

Cancel self-defeating and self-sabotaging thoughts, be mindful of how you speak to yourself and what you think about you

Discontinue your search for false comforts, it only intensifies your emptiness

End the cycle of putting others first and God/yourself last

Stop people pleasing, it’s exhausting, don’t make an idol out of anyone

Cease the mistreatment of you, be kind to yourself, give yourself the grace that you give to others, let go of guilt and shame

Abandon the thought that you are unlovable, unworthy and have no value. You must see yourself through the lens of God’s love.

Forgo the desire to only love yourself the way others dictate you should

Relinquish the guilt connected to the poor choices of your past, take the lessons but not the shame and grow forward

Quit giving up on God and yourself, don’t forfeit the beautiful and fulfilling life that God planned for you. It’s not too late! Believe in God and believe in you!

Ask yourself what do I need to drop or discontinue from my life? I hope you will give this question some serious thought and take action to drop “it” once and for all.

You’ve dropped “it”, now what do you do?

Pick up/take hold of:

• • Your identity and value that should ONLY come from Christ and within you. Seek Him, do the work and invest in the betterment of you! There is a guaranteed return on investment IF you do the work!
  • Your confidence by knowing that you are enough, you matter and are already unconditionally loved, because it’s true! Take the time to find out who you really are! Your perception of yourself determines what you experience.
  • Your uniqueness by celebrating that you are wonderfully made and complete in Him. God has fashioned you in such a way that is unlike anyone else. Don’t compete. Don’t compare. You are one of a kind. You have gifts and abilities that the world needs! No one can sabotage your greatness but you! Be determined to reach your full potential and make God proud!

Although Jesus knows everything we have ever done, yet He still desires to fill the void inside of us. It doesn’t matter how old you are or how long you’ve been in a thirsty state, I urge you to take him up on his offer. Drop everything that is hindering you from His best. Let your deepest thirst be quenched by the ONLY source, drink from the well that will never run dry!!

Never allow what others know about you to hinder your freedom. Walk with your head held high and be a living testimony of God’s transforming power! True freedom and healing will cause you to be unashamed, unapologetic and confident in who you are! When Jesus sets you free, you are FREE! Embrace and enjoy it friend!

Please feel free to leave a comment if this blog resonates with you. I would love to hear your thoughts! I’ll see you next month!

You are celebrated and appreciated my fellow Party of ONE!

God’s best always,

Leslie