I found myself being such a yes woman in my twenties. Can you come to my event? Sure! Can you volunteer? No problem! Can you complete this? Absolutely! Can you fund this? Yes! Can you work on this project? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. I would say yes to so many things, that I never made time to say yes to myself. I forsook what I thoroughly enjoyed or wanted to do for the sake of someone else’s agenda. Don’t get me wrong, I love to give and help others. It is part of who I am, but I had to learn how to set appropriate boundaries and give myself permission to invest in myself. To care for self puts us in a healthy position to properly care for others, including those attached to our purpose. The tag line for Dream Again is, “Finally Saying YES to All that is Inside of You”- saying no to certain requests and yes to yourself…no to harmful habits and yes to help… no to fear and yes to taking risks…no to giving others control and yes to taking control. So, give yourself permission to say YES without hesitation or guilt. You are worth it! For more, visit my blog.

DAILY DEVOTIONS

Day 1

“Without consultation and wise advice, plans are frustrated, But with many counselors they are established and succeed.” Proverbs 15:22 (Amplified)

Prayer Let us open our hearts to those who speak truth, care, and concern. Let us be receptive to the wise words of counselors, mentors, and life coaches. This will help us to reflect, self-improve, and get to the root of some areas in our lives that may be holding us back.

Journal Consult someone you trust that will give you truth in love. What wise words have they given you about a situation? Write them down, reflect on them, and take some actions toward them.

Day 2

“One hand full of rest and patience is better than two fists full of labor and chasing after the wind.
Ecclesiastes 4:6 (Amplified)

Prayer At the end of the day, being extremely busy ironically results in very little being produced. We become tired, anxious, and stressed. Lord, help us to set aside those worries and cares and take time to rest. We can then be refueled for ourselves and others.

Journal Put down your phone RIGHT NOW. Let your messages go unattended for an hour. Journal your thoughts. Is it hard? What are the benefits? Quiet moments leave you open to reflect, improve, and focus on the important.

Day 3

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become tired or grow weary; There is no searching of His understanding. He gives strength to the weary, and to him who has no might He increases power. Even youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] will gain new strength and renew their power; They will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun]; They will run and not become weary, they will walk and not grow tired. Isaiah 40:28-31 (Amplified)

Prayer Lord, help us to put our trust in You. So many things are vying for our time and energy. Please help us to take deep breathes, and as we do so, let us give you more and more control to be our strength and renew us.

Journal Take some time to relax. (See recommendations above). Journal how you feel after doing so.

Day 4

”Then I commended pleasure and enjoyment, because a man [without God] has no better thing under the sun than to eat and to drink and to be merry, for this will stand by him in his toil through the days of his life which God has given him under the sun.”  Ecclesiastes 8:15 (Amplified)

Prayer Give us to ability to accept the fact that enjoying life and having fun is okay as long as it honors You. Help us to release guilt in doing so.

Journal Take time to reward yourself (See recommendation above). Journal how you feel after doing so.

Day 5

“A heart full of joy and goodness makes a cheerful face, but when a heart is full of sadness the spirit is crushed.” Proverbs 15:13 (Amplified)

Prayer Lord, this Proverbs is our desire. Remove those things which lay heavy on hearts. Help us to understand why we continue to allow our heart to be broken. In exchange, please help us to know that you are ALL we need. Fill our hearts with thoughts of peace and joy. Others are depending on our victory.

Journal When was the last time you prayed? Journal a prayer to God and give Him your burdens.

Day 6

“When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your comforts delight me. Psalm 94:19 (Amplified)

Prayer Quiet our racing thoughts. Help us not to worry about tomorrow. Help us not to be overwhelmed by the duties our lives hold. Give us sleep. Give us rest. Stop our rapidly beating hearts. You will help us to get through each day and what doesn’t get done, is actually okay. Help us focus on what is truly important.

Journal When was the last time you prayed? Journal a prayer to God and give Him your racing thoughts.

Day 7

“On that [same] day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side [of the Sea of Galilee].” 36 So leaving the crowd, they took Him with them, just as He was, in the boat. And other boats were with Him. 37 And a fierce windstorm began to blow, and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already being swamped. 38 But Jesus was in the stern, asleep [with His head] on the [sailor’s leather] cushion. And they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are about to die?” 39 And He got up and [sternly] rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still (muzzled)!” And the wind died down [as if it had grown weary] and there was [at once] a great calm [a perfect peacefulness].” Mark 4:35-39 (Amplified)

Prayer Help us to know that even YOU rested. Yes, during your time of rest, people still needed to be healed. People still needed encouraged, but You knew the importance of refueling to be the best you could be for others.

Journal Let’s continue to make prayer a habit. Journal a prayer releasing the guilt you have when it comes to investing in yourself. Make a commitment to do one thing to pour back into yourself? What does that look like for you?