

“As the Beloved of God, you are blessed. Good words are being spoken to you and about you – words that tell the truth. The curses – noisy, boisterous, loud-mouthed as they may be – do not tell the truth. They are lies; lies easy to believe, but lies nevertheless.” (Henri Nouwen)We live in the truth of being under God’s blessing, every day, at all times. Life in this world brings us face-to-face with many realities that can have us forget this Truth. Yet the Truth remains. The Truth is unchanged by what I think or how I feel on a given day. My thoughts and feelings are not facts! My thoughts are fickle, fleeting, and influenced by past hurts as well as present relationships and interactions. I feel great and hopeful one day, and the next, my life seems bleak and miserable. One day I am full of ideas and feel like I can take on anything; the next I feel overwhelmed by the smallest request. I cannot let the ups and downs of daily life determine the truth about my identity, about who I am. On a most practical level, to keep myself from becoming depressed or stifled by fear, I simply cannot allow myself to believe the world, including my own thoughts and feelings, about something as important as my personal identity! For my own sanity’s sake, I will choose to believe God’s words, even if today “I’m not feelin' it.” So how do I invite the truth of my to blessedness become a greater reality in my daily life than the lies? What if we use the season of Lent to do some experimenting here? Below are three suggestions:
- We will support ourselves immensely in living daily life in the Truth of the Blessing by affirming ourselves: by learning to speak kindly and compassionately to ourselves. For example, we might begin each morning by greeting ourselves kindly with, “Good morning, De [insert your first name]. I am here with you. I will support and encourage you in all that our day brings!” ASIDE: You may be tired of hearing me make this suggestion! If you haven’t tried it, do it!! This simple practice truly can be life-altering.
- Second, ask for AND receive the Lord’s affirmation. Let's take an active approach, while inviting the Lord to do the heavy lifting. Literally say to Him, “Jesus, I am going to sit still and quiet now for 5 minutes. I ask You to shower Your love upon me as I sit here. Fill me with the sure knowledge of my blessedness.” And then comes our ‘hard work’ of sitting still for 5 minutes! Ask Siri to set a timer and really do it for a full 5-minutes! As other thoughts enter your mind, calmly say, “not now De [insert your own first name]. Whisper, “Jesus” as often as feels right. Listen for His voice. I promise if you do this consistently, you will gain skill in hearing His voice; in recognizing the unique way He is communicating with you!
- Then claim it! Claim the good words He is saying to you and about you. Thank You Jesus, that I am Your beloved. Thank You, Jesus, for Your love for me!
"When we continue to hear the deep gentle voice that blesses us, we can walk through life with a stable sense of well-being and true belonging.” (Henri Nouwen)
Copyright 2019 De Yarrison
About the Author

De Yarrison
De is a wife, mother, professional coach and women’s retreat facilitator. She is super excited about guiding women to discover the Truth of who they are – God’s chosen and beloved ones! Through her coaching practice and women’s ministry, YouAreMadeNew.com, De guides women to live life led by the Holy Spirit, and to cultivate resilience, self-compassion, and an unwavering trust in our incredible God.
Comments