Sarah Mae
About the Author

Sarah Mae has a past that would be her present if it weren’t for Jesus. A blogger, author, and co-author of Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe, she’s currently writing The Complicated Heart, a book for broken-hearted lovers of Jesus. Learn more at @thecomplicatedheart on Instagram or...

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(in)side DaySpring:
things we love
& you will too!
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  1. Sarah Mae,

    This was a pep talk, a Kingdom talk, that I so needed this morning! I love how you say that we need to get out of our own way and keep our eyes on the purposes of the kingdom. Instead of analyzing why one of my posts was better received than another, I need to continue to write with abandon to an audience of One. Harsh self critique renders us powerless to advance the Kingdom. Thank you again!
    Blessings,
    Bev

    • I just the enemy wants to trip us up and keep us focused on our weaknesses (perceived or real). Let’s just stop that and focus on the Kingdom work at hand!

  2. Thanks for this encouragement to silence the voice of our inner editor and to get on with things. We can get so caught up in evaluating and criticizing ourselves that we become paralyzed.

    Better to keep running with our eyes fixed on our Savior, as you say.

  3. Thank you for being a vessal of conviction and encouragement to me this morning. I am my worst critic which oten leads me to procrastinating or doing nothing…all I can do is ask for forgiveness and keep running. Be blessed!

  4. I just finished writing my own post when I read this. I was writing on prayer and I kept wanting to give up, because really, I don’t even know what I’m talking about. Thanks for the reminder to get out of the way of my doubts.

  5. Wish you were sitting here with me having coffee and we could talk more about this. We all need this kind of push, support and encouragement. Our inner critic can be awfully convincing. your words so resonated with me, especially about reading some of your posts, etc and thinking ‘that’s pretty good.’ I believe that’s God giving a little nudge, telling us we are, encouraging us to use our gifts for His Glory.
    Thank you and God bless.

    • I would love to have coffee with you.

      And I like your perspective of God giving us a little nudge, allowing us to see our work with fresh eyes, so to speak.

  6. Seems to me like you’re sprinting! Go for it, Sarah Mae! What a wonderful, godly pep talk! I’m donning my Nikes!
    Blessings,
    Lynn

  7. Hi Sarah Mae!
    So thankful for these words! I’m getting ready to send my proposal to my agent, feeling oh-so-inadequate! And fraudulent. 🙂 Thanks for speaking your heart and speaking truth.

  8. As someone who started blogging in 2007, had life crash and has be unable to continue for the last several years, it’s really tough to start over – especially after false starts and more waves of life crashing. Then to watch and see the success of blogging friends started the same time I did and who have kept going while I was laid up, yup I’m a bit intimated. But you’re right. I have a message and need to speak it. I need to get out of my own way.

    Thank you. This is exactly what I needed to hear today. {hugs}

  9. Yup, I believe so. I don’t proof read my stuff cos it’s coming out of my mind so fast, I can hardly catch the thoughts. Holy Spirit thoughts. I totally agree with you. We are not called to be perfect as such. Though we are called to be perfect. Just called to run run run in a manner worthy of HIS calling in our lives. No matter what. JESUS LOVES us. Awesome thought right.
    🙂

  10. Beautiful words spoken……so what if we just get out of our own way, maybe we can see his shadow walking closely behind us. Thk U

  11. I hear you! Sadly, the line between self editing and self deprecation has gotten so thin. Add to that the awkwardness of receiving complements and praise from strangers! Stepping out is a vulnerable thing, a leap of faith. Thank you for reminder that we are a hindrance, perhaps the greatest, in this race, and that running hard in all our dorky splendor, is a beautiful sight.

  12. Just what I needed to hear today. I’m so guilty of self criticizing but I know God has great plans for me and my family. I need to focus on setting myself aside daily, and keeping Him in the center… All day every day. So thanks for your encouragement!

  13. Thank you so much for this encouragement to ignore my inner voice critiquing my every word and getting in the way of where I need to move. I love the reminder to let God search my heart and abandon the self-searching! Your words are beautifully written!

    Valerie

  14. Oh my, THIS is exactly what I needed to hear today. I can relate so closely to what you’re saying about re-reading old posts. I do the same thing and have thought exactly what you thought…”Gee, these are pretty good.” So why do I have so much trouble believing that I’m called to minister through words on a regular basis? I really appreciate your timely reminder to throw off the self-critiquing and run the race that God has set before me!

  15. Thanks so much for this encouragement, Sarah Mae. Sometimes it’s so hard to get out of my default mode of self-criticism. I love how you say to let God do the searching and the revealing and the healing and to run with whatever He has put inside of us instead of tripping over our own inadequacies.

  16. I think we’ve been doing too much self-searching and we need to let God do the searching and the revealing and the healing.

    That is awesome and amazing and I love it and I badly needed to hear it this week. My life has been altogether too full of self-searching, and I’m just beginning to learn to get out of my own way and let God do the needed searching instead.

    Thank you!

  17. Thank you so much for this. I have been doing way too much inward gazing instead of keeping my eyes on the One who enables me to do what I am called to do.

  18. Trying to learn to just do it. Don’t strive for perfection because you cannot achieve it. Only God can. And if someone does not like my simple method of writing? I pray that they can find someone that ‘speaks’ to them. As we need to be spoken to.
    You have encouraged me so often and I really enjoy your posts. Keep on keeping on as we would miss you so very much if it went away.
    Love you,
    Patty

  19. Our God is an AWESOME GOD!! I needed to here your message, I love God and I want to do the work I was created to do, my purpose as God created me to be! Thank you!

  20. Thank you so very much, I attended She Speaks this year, and got up the courage to start a blog as the next step in my writing. I know it is what God is calling me to do, but I surely do question myself every post on this baby blog. I am doing the Nehemiah study by Kelly Minter and your words have reinforced the teachings of the last two weeks. I need to just keep doing what God tells me to do and not worry about “me”! God bless you as you most surely are being used of God in your writing <3

  21. Thank you so much! What an inspiration. I am struggling to honestly write my own blog and am often tripped up. Pride is so much of a stumbling block!
    Love in Christ, Taylor Arthur

  22. Thank you Sarah-Mae. This is so true. We really can’t be certain of the impact our words and our actions will have on someone else unless they give us feedback. Recently, a dear friend was having a very hard time and the Lord had been prompting her to call me all that day. When I called her back, and listened, I felt totally inadequate and didn’t know what to say. My two boys were also acting up in a big way because I was on the phone. I was distracted by my boys and what they were doing. I remember talking, but felt like my words could not have been doing a thing and my prayers were ineffective. But, I somehow felt like I was being led by the Holy Spirit. When I talked to her the next day, she thanked me and told me she was so grateful that I knew exactly what to say and what to pray. I laughed and told her that I felt anything but that and described really how I was feeling. This made me realize that the Lord is bigger than my distractions, my inadequacies, my circumstances, and even my own words, and just thanked the Lord for filling in where I had major gaps. If I am willing to be led by the Holy Spirit, and willing to trust Him, He will use my efforts and even my distractions to speak to someone else who needs what the Lord and I am able to give even when it seems pitiful by my standards.

    Blessings,

    Joanne

  23. I have “happened upon” this 3 times in past two days. Each time, a strong message. Prayers appreciated as I heed your words.

  24. timely words! “If you’ve got business to do, and God has put you in a place to do it, get out of your own way and get on with it.”

    Stumbling on a a little business with crafting…a vision for something larger than I ever thought of for others. Just wanting to keep in step with God on this new venture and risk. Embraced ‘hard’ for so many years that this ‘good’ is new territory for me. Pregnant with other desires such as … writing…all in due season. 🙂

    Thanks Sara for keeping on writing & teaching. God bless your day.

  25. Have always loved all you write. But yes, I do believe we need to get out of the way, let the words flow and let GOD bless them…..HE knows who needs to read what we write. HIS WORD does not come back void!

  26. Oh thanks Sarah Mae!!

    After a week full of criticism to my own, much hard words of my coworker and the constant view on my imperfect walk, I really needed to read this. Yeah, we’re too often looking on our own instead of the power of Christ. Beautifully written. Sometimes I’m feeling like never breaking through this circle but you gave me more power to look at Christ and His faithfulness and mercy, at His great love. Thanks for reminding me of what’s important
    Hugs, Rosie

  27. Needed this big time. I write then second-guess. Delete then rewrite. I worry about pushing too hard, knowing those who read what I post will hold my feet to the fire! But there is this inner nudge that tells me to keep going, even if only three people ever read it. What you wrote blessed me tonight. 🙂

  28. This was such a perfect reminder to me of where I am supposed to be in life. When you know God is yanking at your heart and calling you to bigger things, Satan will fill your life with so many distractions, that it takes your mind off what is important. And as I have learned, they can even come in the form of Seemingly Godly people. My mind may wonder, but I am ever grateful to my God who touches that place deep inside me and gently takes my face and turns my head back to see the road he has put me on. The real importance of self criticing is that we know who we are in Christ and most importantly…others see that in us!!!! My greatest hearts desire is that I wear Jesus everywhere I go and my presence will be His presence in the lives of others. Not always do I accomplish that and I often let Self Criticing of my job performance get in the way and forget about criticing what I am doing for God. I am getting better at that…. But often need a gentle reminder. I was a few days late reading this blog, but.. God knew the best time for me. Thank you for sharing your heart!!!

  29. Thank you Sara Mae.

    This was super inspirational!! This post can be applied to many aspects of life-not just writing.

    Loved the phrase “as I get out of my own way, and keep my eyes on purposes of the kingdom.” Also “Friends, let’s stop tripping over our own feet, our own inadequacies and quirks” I need to stop criticizing myself for lack of certain skills and acknowledge what skills I have been given by God. That is speaking loud and clear to me.