“Everything belongs. Realize we aren’t as bad as our worst moments or as good as our greatest successes – but that we are far better than we can imagine and carry the potential to be far worse than we fear. To cast great light in the world also requires a long shadow. Both belong. If we think we can run from the shadow, we’re sorely mistaken; it’s always with us. Facing the whole of ourselves rescinds the permission we give to the fragments to lay claim to the whole of our identity.”
Have you ever stopped to consider that every single part of you belongs? That you were created exactly as you are? That the parts of you that you see as flawed are actually part of your design? You were created just as you are.
So often, we cannot find it within us to love the shadows that we carry. We try to hide them, deny them, or outrun them. But they are always there, following closely behind us. What if we learned to embrace our shadows? For only through our shadow can we come to know our light. Don’t run from the parts of you that you most often reject. Instead lean into them and learn from them. Each part of us is there to teach us something. Let your shadow side show you a different way.
Loving ourselves requires us to love the whole of ourselves. There are parts of me that I do not care for one bit. I can be mood, difficult to deal with, quick tempered, impatient, messy, and sharp tongued. But the thing is, those parts are not any less than the parts of me that I love. They are a part of me as well. Being aware of areas I would consider short comings has truly helped me to minimize their appearance in my life. Embracing them, being aware of them, acknowledging them and letting them go when I slip up have all helped me to grow tremendously. Hating those parts of me does nothing but create negative tension in my life.
Here’s my challenge to you. Consider the whole of you. What are some areas you would say you do not like about yourself? Identify those. Become aware of them. Lean into them. They are part of you as well. Extend grace to yourself to the same extent you extend grace to other people. I am not perfect, I don’t expect other people to be, and I shouldn’t place that expectation on myself either. I am not extending permission for you to act a fool all the time; embracing and excusing are two very different things. Embrace the whole of yourself, extend grace, and grow from there. Much love friends.
