Do you ever stop and pause to do something just for yourself? Maybe it’s usually not a priority because you either feel selfish or you simply don’t think you have the time. Taking some time out for yourself though will make you so much better in so many ways. If you’re constantly on the go for everyone else and forgetting about yourself, you can’t be the best version of yourself.

Do you ever stop to reflect on the great qualities that God instilled in you? We often don’t want to focus on ourselves because that would seem selfish, right? But what would happen if we paused to recognize the good within ourselves?

I have often overlooked my qualities because I was missing self-worth. Jesus is so tender though and is opening my eyes to see. To see His goodness in my life. To see His love and purpose in my life. I am realizing that when I take some time out for myself, I am a better me. When I begin to recognize who I am in Christ rather than comparing myself to someone else, I am a better me.

Jesus desires for us to see the value He instilled in us. He wants us to be ourselves, to be free in who we are uniquely created to be.

I was out shopping the other day, and couldn’t help but notice all the slogans reminding us to be kind, be yourself, and the one that caused me to reflect – “Just be you.” Great stuff but that can mean a lot of different things in the world. For those walking life with Jesus, it can serve as a beautiful reminder for our souls. It reminds us to not forget who we are in Christ. When we fully embrace the One dwelling within us, we can be our true selves.

The world doesn’t shape us. Christ molds us into something more beautiful that what this world can offer. It can be so easy to be swayed to what everyone else is doing in the world but what if we flow in a different direction? What if we choose to be our best self by being confident knowing that our Creator created us perfectly?

How can you be the better you?

Give yourself space to pause. I look around and everyone is going, going and going and I wonder, is anyone taking time to stop? Myself included. It’s not the popular thing to do, right? I sometimes think that if I’m not on the go, then I’m not accomplishing.

What if we focus less on accomplishment, less on comparison, less on going and more on stopping to pause, to rest in who we are in Christ? What if we give more focus on who we are rather than who we’re not?

Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin.

Luke 12:27

I love the simple truth that Jesus speaks in this verse. The lilies . . . they do not labor or spin. They simply trust the Creator to take care of them. They soak in the sun. They allow the water to quench their thirst. They allow their roots to grow deep within the soil because they trust the One who will make them grow.

We, too, don’t have to constantly be laboring and spinning with a thousand things to do. We don’t have to labor toward accomplishment. Rather, we can rest in the perfect love of our Creator.

Take time for just you. It’s not selfish. It’s the moments when I take time out for myself, that I encounter Jesus in incredible ways.

When you take time to enjoy moments with Him and to pause from the demands of life, you truly are becoming the better you.