Do you find yourself often saying "I need to . . . " or "I should..." (fill in the blank).
We have many needs. Some are real. We need housing, food, water, clothing. We also need relationships, wisdom, and balanced mental health. We need exercise, to clean our home, and to buy groceries.
Other needs are fabrications; you see a TV show and you covet what the actors are doing and their fictitious relationships. You read online articles about others and wish for their life. You scroll Facebook and start comparing yourself to others.
It's important to live in reality--in the purpose God made you for--and to recognize fantasy, coveting, and worldly voices when you come across them.
When you say "I should..." that's another example of being tempted into a life other than God has planned for you. It's like living under a harsh taskmaster. The word "should" is a control word when used against others. When you say he or she or you should be doing... it implies that you think you know what another person should be doing or that you're not doing enough.
Put your should in check.
God is graceful, gentle, peaceful, and doesn't care about half the things you think you or another person should be doing. God can nudge you or another person with the plan of action he has in mind and speak directly to you or them. Are you patient to wait for him to do that?
It's easy to fall into a mindset of guilt and pressure, criticizing yourself for not doing more, not eating better, not getting enough done in a day, and so on. No, we aren't to be lazy or inactive. Faith without works is dead. But acting in faith over force is much better.
Choose peace, pacing, and gentleness as you go through your day. Put down false guilt, and don't throw false guilt onto those around you.
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