[bluidkiti]

September 2

The hand that holds the whip over our heads is most often our own.

~Harvey Egan

We must learn to be as patient with ourselves as God is with us. That’s a tall order for adult children who, almost by definition, can’t tolerate imperfection in themselves. Instead of having to “be perfect and be perfect now,” most of us need to be far less critical of ourselves. We need to give ourselves a break.

When we forgive ourselves for being human, we are acting as God acts toward us. God knows who and what we are. He doesn’t expect perfection. We’re the ones who do that.

Playing both taskmaster and whipping boy at the same time is too much for anybody. It is an example of a classic double bind that plagues so many adult children.

We need to learn to be neither tyrant nor cringing victim. The task is to learn to establish sane boundaries and learn that because we are special and deserving of marvelous things, we don’t have to abuse ourselves by unrealistic expectations or minimize our successes.

Today, I will examine my expectations and celebrate my successes.

Today's reading is from the book Days of Healing, Days of Joy, Daily Meditations for Adult Children