GRACE

 G ‒ Give yourself a moment. We are human, so it’s normal to be upset when things don’t go as planned. Grieve, and then, when the time comes, move on.

R ‒ Remember God loves you. Paul starts off Ephesians 2 by describing how God is rich in mercy and love. (v. 4) We are not a masterpiece because of anything we’ve done or who we are. It is all because of who Jesus is and His amazing grace.

A ‒ Acknowledge what didn’t go well. Sometimes mistakes happen, but that doesn’t mean you are a mistake. What didn’t go the way you wanted it to? Learn from it. “No matter how many times you trip them up, God-loyal people don’t stay down long; Soon they’re up on their feet …” (Proverbs 24:16, MSG).

C ‒ Celebrate what did go well! Peter in the Bible gets picked on a lot. One of those famous stories is in Matthew 14, when he saw Jesus walking on the water. We often focus on Peter sinking, but we don’t remember this part: “… Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus” (Matthew 14:29, NIV). No one else could say they walked on water, but Peter could!

E ‒ Encourage yourself. The second greatest commandment is to “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31a, NIV). Friends, we don’t always love ourselves well, but we should! What would you tell your child, sister or friend if they messed up? Tell yourself the same thing. If it is true for them, it is true for you, too.