I’ve been talking about self-sabotage. So, I was working on a Facebook post the other day and noticed something kind of cool—the words “serve” and “sever” are made up of the exact same letters, just mixed up. (Yeah I know as old as I am I should have noticed) This got me thinking about how thin the line can be between something supporting us and something actually holding us back. It’s all about how we arrange the pieces in our lives, right? This blog dives into how our habits, relationships, and mindsets can either serve us (give us a boost) or sever us (drag us down), and how that plays out in our everyday growth.1
Recognizing Subtle Sabotages
It’s pretty wild how things that once helped us move forward can start pulling us back. Maybe that job that used to fire you up now just leaves you feeling stuck, or that “quick” scroll on social media ends up eating hours of your day. Spotting when something shifts from serving to severing means keeping an eye out for when you’re feeling stuck or when you’re just not getting joy from it anymore. Hebrews 12:1 tells us to “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.” It’s a solid nudge to cut loose what’s holding us back.
Isn’t it fascinating how sometimes you don’t even notice the shift until it’s a little too late? Like with exercise, which starts out as a healthy routine but might turn into an obsession that actually starts to harm your body and mind. Recognizing the change early on can make a huge difference in steering your life back on the right track.
Evaluating Relationships
Relationships can flip too, from uplifting to kinda draining. Think about that buddy who used to pump you up but now seems to just bring you down. Checking in with how you feel after hanging out with someone is key—are you charged up or drained? Remember what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:33, “Bad company corrupts good character.” It’s a heads-up to stick with people who lift us up and not drag us down.
But it’s not just about cutting people out. It’s about understanding the dynamics and seeing if there’s a way to bring back the positive vibes. Sometimes, just being open and talking things out can shift the energy from negative back to positive. It’s all about maintaining relationships that are reciprocal, where both sides contribute positively.
Decision Making for Personal Growth
Choosing what stays in our life is a lot like picking the right words to make a sentence work best. Making a list of what’s currently serving you versus what’s severing you can really clear things up. This helps you see clearly what’s worth keeping around and what you might need to let go of to keep moving toward your goals. Philippians 1:10 encourages us to “…approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.” It’s about hanging onto what’s truly good for us.
Practical Steps to Shift Dynamics
Not everything that starts to sever needs the boot. Sometimes just changing things up a bit can turn them back into positives. Maybe adjusting your role at your job could spark that passion again, or setting some boundaries could get a relationship back on track. Taking proactive steps to adjust things is crucial for turning those negatives back into positives. Romans 12:2 tells us not to conform but to be transformed by renewing our minds, which helps us figure out what God’s good and pleasing will is.
Remember, it’s not about making huge leaps overnight. Sometimes, the smallest adjustments can bring about the biggest changes. Start with the little things, and soon you’ll see how much easier it becomes to manage the bigger issues.
The choices we make—what serves and what severs—are similar to how we arrange letters to form words. They shape whether we move forward or stay stuck. Let this blog be your little nudge to keep checking in on your choices to make sure they’re really working for you. I’m reminded of 2 Corinthians 13:5 that tells us to do a self-examination. I want you to grab your journal and reflect on these questions. What will you choose to serve and what will you sever to make your life everything it can be? Take some time to think about it and make those smart tweaks that’ll keep you on the path to success and happiness.
Oh yeah! If you don’t have a journal, I invite you to check my Echoes & Whispers 30 Day Capture Journal on Amazon. If you are a Christian coach, I created this amazing self-sabotage toolkit for you to use in your business.
Bye for now!