Hey Gardners, and happy July! I know we are in the middle of a series, and I assure you that Caller ID: Unknown—Part III is on the way. Today, I want to take some time to talk about pits. You know, the seasons we end up in that feel heavy and ridiculed with burdens. The ones that seem like they will not end—yea, those. Let’s get to it.

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June was a pit for me, and moving forward last month took a lot of time. As soon as I started writing about finding out our identities through Christ, my identity came into question. I was being hit left and right, and it was hard to be quiet. I wanted to scream and lay hands, but God told me, “You must let me have this.” I’ve said this a few times and will repeat it—I do not have all the answers. Sometimes, my flesh weakens, and the temptation of backsliding sounds nice. But the price is so high that I have to surrender my ego and let God have his way.

Ya’ll—nothing is easy about that. Please pat yourself on the back right now because choosing kindness in a world that seems to have forgotten it is HUGE! So that’s what I want to give you today. Here are just a few takeaways I gathered last month.

What do you do when you are in the pit?

You can do many things, but I will share with you the four things I learned.

1. Rest

It sounds so simple, right? Lay down, drink a ginger ale, eat a sleeve of crackers, and watch Law and Order: SVU, then BOOM—well rested. Yes, I wish it was that simple. What I mean by rest is to stop trying to fix it. Stop planning, assuming, or forcing; just be still and let God have it. I thought I was letting God have it, but I wasn’t. I was praying and worrying about it, making me more exhausted.

2. Recalibrate

Recalibrate means “to calibrate again,” so calibrate must mean “to adjust precisely for a particular function.” Sometimes, when life is lifing, and people are peopling, it can get hard to stay focused on your function, but when you are in the pit, going back to God and asking him to adjust you, remind you, and save you—is the best cure.

3. Extend Grace

We have to be kind to ourselves first and foremost. Momma always tells me that I am my worst critic, and she is right. I often feel like I am not doing enough or too much, and then it just turns into a rabbit hole of negative self-reflection, and it hurts. As I cruised This past Saturday, I told myself I was sorry for being so harsh this month. I am not perfect, and that is not God’s requirement for me, and His requirements are the ones that matter the most.

4. Start Fresh!

BABY—start over! I don’t care if you started and stopped fourteen times; make sure number fifteen is lit. It is okay to start over. God’s mercies renew daily, and I am so glad for them. God is prepared for us and our emotions, experiences, and expectations. He knows us, and what we will and won’t do, yet He loves us enough to allow our mistakes to mold us into His image. He knows our true identity, and it is up to us to start fresh as many times as necessary to learn those identities.

That’s all for now. As I said, I am working on Part III and expect nothing but greatness in July. I pray you guys have a wonderful day, week, month, etc.🥰

Take care,

ToriB💕🌻