When I think about the many things vying for my heart and attention, the use of my time, whether or not my heart is at peace, or if I just feel satisfied with where I am in life, it all boils down to one simple question: am I believing He loves me?

It is easy to blame my overwhelmed heart on busyness, but what is driving my need to feel busy? When I am truly sitting cozily in my God-given human skin, the culture—even Christian southern female culture–is not as important to me anymore. When I am standing firm and holding to the truth of His love for me, I can be different; I can be what He wants me to be, love who He wants me to love, and spend my days how He wants me to spend them.

So I will continue to preach the truth to myself:

I believe He loves me. I don’t need to perform anymore. My time today will be spent on the things He has for me and not on my own self-promoting agendas. In His love, I can put aside insecurity and have His eyes to see His calling for me today. I don’t need to busy myself to feel better. I don’t need to say yes to everything put before me. I can steward my time with confidence because, if He loves me, I can trust Him with my time.

I believe He loves me. I can be content. The comparison game is over. He made me just how He wanted me to be. In His love, I can put aside insecurity. I can confidently step forward in being more of the person He has made me to be. Feeling truly loved and accepted, I can step with courage into roles and callings that He lays before me and be content with what those are. I don’t need someone else’s role or gifts. I am free to be me.

I believe He loves me. I can be at peace with the fact that I am a messy broken sinner—no more shame. He did away with that on the cross. I can stop believing the lies thrown my way and start believing and living as His child. I can love my messy broken friends in this messy broken world because I don’t need anything from them. He loves me. And, He is loving them through me. I can give myself away and expect nothing in return. I can love the unlovable. I can die to my rights and turn the other cheek.

So, when I’m tempted to sign up my child for yet another unneeded activity, or race to the grocery store to prep a “gourmet” dessert for a meeting, or go to yet another social function when all I really need is peace—I can rest. I can lay all of that down. We can lay all of that down. Ladies, we are striving after the wind. And, in doing so, our footing is lost. Ground your feet and find out what He has for you today. Only in doing this can we truly find the peace we so long for and love a world that is so very desperate for a solid footing of its own. Soak deep into His love for you today and really believe it.

“Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.” —Ephesians 1:4-5