Because I’m lazy… right? Or is it possible there’s a deeper explanation for my behavior – one that’s more aligned with God’s original design for me?

A truth I’ve been wrestling with lately is that we tend to mislabel ourselves. This world feeds off of negativity. So unfortunately, it’s easy to absorb that energy and judge ourselves harshly – without ever digging deeper and asking God for his perspective of us.

So in my case, the easiest and most obvious explanation is that I’m lazy. Why else do I love lingering in bed? Or why I prefer being cooked for rather than cooking for myself? And don’t even get me started on how I can’t wait until I’m able to hire a cleaning company.

But when I looked beyond what the natural eye could see and got curious about my behavior, I discovered something different.

I realized I’d been focusing on my behavior instead of my motivation.

The truth is that I am naturally drawn to peace, ease, rest, and comfort. I’m pretty sure the term “soft life” was created for me. I am fueled by slow mornings. Soft blankets. Coloring books. And coziness.

But the enemy loves distortion.

He doesn’t have to remove the good things God placed inside of us.

He simply has to convince us that they’re flaws.

So peace becomes laziness.

Gentleness becomes weakness.

Curiosity becomes overthinking.

Sensitivity becomes “too emotional.” The list goes on.

And hear me out, I’m not at all saying there haven’t been plenty of times where I could have used my time and resources more wisely. There are certainly areas where I can grow in discipline, sacrifice, and perseverance. But understanding that God created me to appreciate ease allows me to see myself more accurately and pursue peace without letting comfort become an idol.

So maybe we shouldn’t be so quick to negatively judge ourselves. And instead, get curious about God’s original intentions for why we are the way we are.

Because I can’t help but wonder how many parts of ourselves we’ve mislabeled simply because we’ve never invited God into the conversation. Maybe what we’ve been calling flaws are places where the enemy has distorted the truth of who we are. Or maybe God wants to reveal something deeper, just like he did for me.

So this week, I want to encourage you to get curious. Bring your habits, your personality, your strengths, and even the parts of yourself you’ve always criticized into your 1:1 time with God. Ask him to show you what he sees.

You might be surprised to discover that the parts of yourself you’ve spent years trying to fix aren’t flaws at all. Maybe they’re qualities God intentionally placed within you that he wants to refine, not remove. And perhaps they’ll play a bigger role in your purpose than you ever imagined.

The post What If You’ve Been Mislabeling Yourself? appeared first on Uniquely Everything.

Just because a thought enters your brain doesn’t make it true.

I’m sure you know that logically, but do you ever remind yourself of that in the moment you might need to the most?

For the past few weeks, I’ve been reminding myself of that fact. Specifically, when anxious thoughts slither their way into my brain.

“That’s just anxiety.”

Three simple, yet effective words that have had a huge impact on my mental health lately.

Shining light on the reality of anxiety and its presence in real-time has really lessened the power that it has over me.

The more I say it, the more peace I feel. It’s like telling my mind, “Hey, I see you, but you don’t get to run the show today.”

If you struggle with anxious thoughts, try giving yourself that same reminder. You might be surprised how freeing it feels to call anxiety out for what it is – and choose truth instead.

The post The Simple Phrase That Helps Me Calm My Anxious Thoughts appeared first on Uniquely Everything.

About two weeks ago, the work day was coming to an end, and I kept finding myself saying, “I need something, but I don’t know what I need, and that’s what’s frustrating me.” Surely you’ve felt that way before, right? That feeling of being a bit uneasy inside, but unsure of how to settle your spirit? That’s where I was.

My weekday evenings are usually pretty busy, especially since I try to be in the bed by 10pm. Thankfully, my workout partner was out of town, so I knew I wasn’t going to the gym right after work, which is my typical routine. No, I do not work out without my partner yet.

Since there was no workout that day, it left me with about an hour of “free time” before my next scheduled weekday task. I stepped outside onto the balcony and took a look at my new egg chair, which I am absolutely obsessed with, and decided to grab popcorn and my laptop and do some work outside.

As it turns out, that’s exactly what I needed.

A moment to breathe in fresh air, eat my favorite snack, in my current favorite piece of furniture.

Peace found me in the quiet.

So my friend, next time your spirit is feeling a bit unsettled, try slowing down. Pay attention to the direction that God is naturally leading you to. I believe my workout being canceled that day was certainly ordained by my daddy in heaven. Otherwise, I would’ve continued with my regularly scheduled program and never taken the necessary time to slow down and just breathe.

The post When Peace Finds You in the Quiet appeared first on Uniquely Everything.

Watch the Full Episode Below:

Want more honest faith convos? Browse the full Faith Unfiltered series.

I love Jesus.

I read my bible, pray, and talk to God daily. And still… I’ve had seasons where my mind felt heavy, anxious, or just tired.

For a long time, I thought those two things couldn’t exist at the same time – that if I was mentally struggling, I must not be spiritually strong. That if I really trusted God, I wouldn’t feel this way.

But that’s a lie. And I think a lot of us have been carrying it quietly.

The truth is: you can love God and still struggle with your mental health. And that doesn’t make you weak. It makes you human.

The bible is filled with stories of people who deeply loved God – and also felt overwhelmed, isolated, depressed, or unsure. David, Elijah, Job, even Jesus in the garden… their emotions were real, and God never rejected them for it.

In this video, I’m sharing that I realized my mental battles don’t disqualify my closeness with God – they’re a space where He meets me.

So if you’ve ever felt like your anxiety or mental lows mean you’re somehow failing at faith, I hope this conversation gives you room to breathe. You’re not alone and you’re certainly not loved any less.

Click play when you’re ready.

Have you ever felt like your emotions disqualified you from being close to God? Let’s talk in the comments.

If you liked this post, check out the blog for more honest conversations about God and mental health.

The post Can You Love God and Still Struggle Mentally? appeared first on Uniquely Everything.

Since then, life has been a series of rapid changes:

• I broke my leg and had surgery for the first time.
• I’ve been on leave from work since the accident.
• I rely on crutches or a wheelchair to do literally anything.
• I had to unexpectedly move out of my apartment and temporarily live with a friend.

I’ll stop the list there.
All that to say — the past two months have been nothing but change after change.

When Sadness Takes Over

I had been holding up pretty well… until about a week ago.
Last week hit me hard in a way I wasn’t expecting.

For full transparency, these were the three sentences I scribbled in my journal:

“I feel like I’m stupid. I feel like my thoughts and ideas are worthless. I don’t even have thoughts or ideas.”

I know those words go against everything I believe.
But in that moment, they were my truth.

Learning to Feel What I Feel

One thing I’ve realized about myself recently is that I don’t easily sit with sad emotions.

Usually, when I notice sadness creeping in, I acknowledge it just long enough to immediately start fixing it — distracting myself, finding something positive, moving forward.

But that day was different.
I didn’t have the strength to “fix it.”
I didn’t have the mental capacity to pull myself out.

So I stayed with it.
I laid in it.
I let the lies swirl — and for a while, I believed them.

I cried for hours.
And honestly? As awful as it felt, it was human.

Finding Strength Again

A few hours later, the storm inside me started to calm.
I picked up my book and read a few pages.
Then I pulled out my prayer journal — shaky but ready to write.
Then I opened my Bible.

I was still sad, still heavy, but now I was mentally ready to let God’s strength be made whole in my weakness.

Why I Struggled With My Identity

So why did I spiral so deeply?
Why was someone who is usually so secure suddenly feeling worthless?

Through prayer, reflection, and a few honest talks with friends, I realized something important:

I was dehumanizing myself.

My life changed drastically — fast.
It makes sense that I’m not my “normal” self right now.
But being different scared me.
I started questioning if I even knew who I was anymore.

The truth is:
Nothing is wrong with me. I’m human, having a human experience.

Before the accident, most days felt like Level 3 — my highest, healthiest self.
Now, I often feel closer to Level 1 or 2.
And instead of giving myself grace for adjusting, I was punishing myself for not “bouncing back.”

But I’m not lost.
I’m not broken.
I’m learning more about myself — not less.

Giving Yourself Grace Through Hard Seasons

So consider this your reminder:

Give yourself grace.

We are humans — not robots.
We have ups, we have downs, and sometimes life flips everything upside down without warning.

In my case? I didn’t plan to run my car into a tree.
I didn’t plan for recovery to feel this hard.
But here I am — still becoming.

When life changes overnight, allow yourself to become who you need to be to survive today.
Don’t hold onto yesterday’s version of yourself if she’s not who will carry you forward.

You’re still you — you’re just growing.
You’re becoming even more of who God created you to be.

And that’s okay.
That’s grace.

The post Embracing New Realities: Your Reminder To Give Yourself Grace appeared first on Uniquely Everything.