“No matter what our achievements might be, we think well of ourselves only in rare moments. We need people to bear witness against our inner judge, who keeps book on our shortcomings and transgressions. We need people to convince us that we are not as bad as we think we are.”
― Eric Hoffer
Last week a woman interviewed my for our newspaper about my book, “Fruitful Leadership; Living by The Fruit of The Spirit.” She told me that she had been watching my career, started listing my accomplishments, and right there in the middle of the Starbucks in Safeway, I began to cry. These last weeks have pushed me so far out of my comfort zone that I had been feeling inadequate; not enough to handle the home selling and buying pressure, not smart enough to conquer some technology (which everyone said was easy,) not kind or gentle enough with my husband, and the list went on. This woman took the time to bear witness to my inner judge that had been trash talking me non-stop. I left that conversation with my shoulders squared and the knowledge that I wasn’t as bad as my inner critic was telling me.
Let me bear witness to your inner judge in this email from the chapter of The Fruit of Goodness:
You are good. There are strengths and characteristics that belong to you that nobody else has, and they are good. You weren’t haphazardly thrown onto this earth. The Good Book says in Acts 27:18 “From one man He made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.” He marked out your appointed times, to live where you live, to display your goodness. The world needs your goodness. Discover it. Lean into your goodness and lead yourself well in that area.
I don’t think this concept can be talked about enough. You are good enough, just as you are. After each creation, God said, “Wow! This is good.” You are one of His creations. Can you make improvements? Sure, but when God looks at you, He sees the good, and He sees who you can be. He made you exactly the way you are, and He knows the greatness that lies within you. It’s your choice to believe this about yourself. It’s your choice to live into that greatness!
Believing in your goodness,
Jan
Jan McDonald
The John Maxwell Team
PS You can get my book “Fruitful Leadership; Leading by The Fruit of The Spirit” on Amazon.
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