Stop Saying This Word

I caught myself today. Much like recently when I was brushing my teeth, except this time I was out for a walk.

Today the thoughts were running ahead of me. (Even when I manage to be quiet, sometimes the thoughts run like that ticker at the bottom of the news screen, never-ending and lacking the substance you really need.) They were rolling one into another through all the things I wasn’t doing.

That’s when I realized, I want to eliminate one word from this one-sided conversation.

Every thought was like a passive aggressive loved one, passing judgement without really saying what they mean. Luckily I caught it early, this time.

Are you ready for the thought?

I should be running.

Did you catch the word?

It’s sneaky and seemingly benign. Here, I’ll help.

SHOULD be running.

Do you want to know what those six letters really said?

You’re not enough.

You’re not doing enough.

You’re lazy.

You’re out of shape.

You’re hopeless.

You’re never going to be better than you are.

You’re not enough.

No matter how hard you try, there will always be more. The word SHOULD carries so much implication for who think you are, who others are, who you’re not, who you want to be. 

SHOULD is like a great ruler we hold up to measure and remind ourselves of our lack.

But what if there is no SHOULD?

What if we could choose? I am or I am not.

What if you eliminated SHOULD from you vocabulary? Imagine the freedom! Share on X

What if that’s enough?

I am not running.

It just is. It’s a choice. It’s a fact. There is no judgement lurking, no head shaking tsk, tsk, no excuse.

I am not running. FACT.

I should do the laundry becomes I am doing the laundry or I am not doing the laundry.

I should volunteer again at church becomes I am volunteering today or I am not volunteering today.

I should cook instead of get takeout becomes I am cooking or I am not cooking.

We live our lives mentally punishing ourselves for the ways we think we miss the mark, when we are the ones holding the ruler and deciding what good is.

It’s time to let go. Time to be okay with our choices. Time to stop trying to be and instead just be. It’s time to let go of what we think we should be and embrace who we are.


Worthy: Believe Who God Says You Are is a 20 day devotional that will help you accept the truth of who God made you to be.

Combining personal stories, scripture, action steps and prayer this book will help you believe all the amazing things God says about you.

Get your copy today!



It's time to eliminate this word from our internal dialogs.
#identity #selfcare #love #grace #faith #reality

Check out these great sites I’m linking up with: Literacy Musing MondaysPurposeful FaithTea & Word TuesdayAbounding GraceTell His StoryPorch StoriesLet’s Have CoffeeWorth Beyond RubiesMoments of HopeTune in ThursdayDance with JesusFresh Market FridayFaith ‘n FriendsBlogger Voices NetworkGrace & TruthHeart Encouragement

Author: Rebecca Hastings

Rebecca is a writer and speaker encouraging women to find real faith that works in real life. A wife and mother of three in Connecticut, she can often be found typing words, driving her kids places or wherever there is chocolate.

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