Dear Woman, Set it Down

Set it down.

I repeat this phrase to my kids over and over each day.

Because there are about a million things they pick up that either aren’t theirs or aren’t good for them.

As I caught myself repeating this yet again today, I wondered how many times each day God says something similar to me…

Set it down. The jealousy. Because whatever it is they have that you want ultimately won’t make you happy. It won’t satisfy you the way you think it will. And holding on to jealousy won’t do anything but destroy you.

Set it down. The anger. Because you can’t control the choices other people make, and most of the time they aren’t even your business. Cultivate peace by living your life right.

Set it down. The weight of other people’s opinions, whether directed at you or not. You’ll never say or do anything to change them. Besides, it doesn’t matter what they think, only what I think.

Set it down. The comparison. You aren’t her and you don’t need to be. You are worthy just as you are.

Set it down. The judgment. Because you never know the whole story from just a snippet of someone’s life. And even if you do, haven’t you too made some less than desirable choices?

Set it down. The search for perfection. It doesn’t exist on earth. Stop trying to find it.

Set it down. The chasing after more. You don’t want to miss what’s right in front of you, do you?

Set it down. The insistence on having your way. You don’t always know what’s best, but I do.

Set it down. The refusal to look at a situation from someone else’s perspective—especially mine.

Stop picking up the things that don’t belong to you. The things you don’t need. The things that aren’t good for you.

Set it all down and just listen to me.