all is grace

And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace ~John 1:17

Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace ~Proverbs 86:6

Give yourself grace.  Give yourself a break.

It is something easy to hear, and easy to say......but it's been REALLY hard to do. 

Recently, I've been struggling with resting.  Letting myself take breaks.  Taking it slow.  Maybe this is because I'm such a go-go, type-A, structure personality.  Or maybe because I like to challenge myself and prove to myself that yes, I can do x, y and z activity....and I'm not going to let pregnancy stop me!

I really struggle with fitness and being pregnant.  I expect my body to perform to my non-preggo standards and then I'm left disappointed and angry at myself....instead of being thankful that I still have energy and ability to exercise. Why can't I do this workout?  Why am I so out of breath?  Why did 5 miles just take me an hour and half?  I catch myself constantly being negative about everything.

But the Lord is showing me that those reactions are sin because they are full of my pride...and those expectations are totally unrealistic.  He has been showing me that I have a world of time after this baby is born to get "back into shape".  He has also been showing me that carrying a baby is hard work and it does take a toll on my body.  More so, if I want to exercise post-baby, I need to make sure I'm not going to cause injury to myself. 

The Lord has put some very faithful friends in my life that have spoken these truths to me during my pregnancy over and over and over.  And they encourage me and pray for me. 

And so very slowly, His truth is seeping into my head. 

Yes, all is grace.