Hanukkah: Give Yourself Grace

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We are in the middle of Hanukkah, which is also known as the Feast of Dedication and the Festival of Lights. Hanukkah is a reminder that when we dedicate ourselves to God's plan and purpose for our lives it will usually look like we don't have enough and aren't capable, but he can take the little we have and do the miraculous. During Hanukkah each night an additional candle is lit, which is a reminder that our light is supposed to grow brighter and brighter. God is great and we are supposed to become more like him. His desire is to make us great and the method he uses is his grace flowing through us. 

One of the biggest keys I have learned in all of life is giving ourselves grace. God's grace must be received from him, flow through us, and out into the world. But we often block the flow by not giving grace to ourselves. We tend to be our own worst critic, beat ourselves up, and condemn ourselves. We also put unrealistic timelines and deadlines on ourselves to see results. When we put all the pressure and weight of doing everything perfectly on ourselves, we function in our own strength rather than God's and we squeeze God out. One of the most important things to learn in all of life is to take the pressure off and roll it over to God instead, because he can handle it. As we do this, we learn to put our trust and confidence in him and he will never let us down. 

I am praying for you. 

Daniel