Two Steps

I need to ask a serious question. Have you taken 2 steps back today? Have you defeated yourself yet again? It could be that 3^rd doughnut you scoffed down or that 2^nd Pumpkin Spice latte from Starbucks that keeps you from reaching your goal to lose weight. Or it could be that relationship that you keep going back to, because it’s comfortable and safe. It could be that annoying girl or guy at work that you need to gossip about for the hundredth time. It might even be when you lost your temper again because your child had to disobey you just one more time. Or you keep putting your dreams on the back burner for another day, month or year, because life is just too busy. All of the above have happened to me and these things are what I called taking two steps back. These setbacks keep us from the person we want to be because we experience guilt, shame, depression and sadness in the aftermath. These mishaps or lack of doing make us believe we will never change or be happy with ourselves. These things make us want to dive into a down filled covered bed with fluffy pillows. These things make us want to grab a box of Kleenex and another box of doughnuts.

But what I love about taking two steps back is there is room to move forward, we created space for change. As long as we are breathing there is room to move forward, even if it’s trudging one foot in front of another. Yes we messed up again, but grace is available. And I have found when grace for ourselves is available, change becomes easier. Because we can mess up and still love ourselves. We can look back at yesterday and realize it didn’t kill us. And we can take one step towards the person we want to be again. We can say a little prayer, “God, please help me to be kind to that person who drives me mad”. We can throw away the box of doughnuts (or at least half of them), we can make a list of why we shouldn’t go back to a relationship again. In short, we can take little steps forward without obsessing with the two steps back. We can love ourselves when we mess up, so we have the courage to move forward again. So in other words- get up, get dressed and never give up in a world of two steps back! (Awesome quote by I don’t know who).