In Time’s Like This, Can Anyone Still Find the Place, Time, to Practice Self-Compassion When Facing Setbacks? Psalm 103:8

Psalm 103 Complete Jewish Bible

103 ⁽⁰⁾ By David:

⁽¹⁾ Bless Adonai, my soul!
Everything in me, bless his holy name!
² Bless Adonai, my soul,
and forget none of his benefits!

³ He forgives all your offenses,
he heals all your diseases,
⁴ he redeems your life from the pit,
he surrounds you with grace and compassion,
⁵ he contents you with good as long as you live,
so that your youth is renewed like an eagle’s.

⁶ Adonai brings vindication and justice
to all who are oppressed.
⁷ He made his ways known to Moshe,
his mighty deeds to the people of Isra’el.
⁸ Adonai is merciful and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in grace.
⁹ He will not always accuse,
he will not keep his anger forever.
¹⁰ He has not treated us as our sins deserve
or paid us back for our offenses,
¹¹ because his mercy toward those who fear him
is as far above earth as heaven.
¹² He has removed our sins from us
as far as the east is from the west.

¹³ Just as a father has compassion on his children,
Adonai has compassion on those who fear him.
¹⁴ For he understands how we are made,
he remembers that we are dust.
¹⁵ Yes, a human being’s days are like grass,
he sprouts like a flower in the countryside —
¹⁶ but when the wind sweeps over, it’s gone;
and its place knows it no more.
¹⁷ But the mercy of Adonai on those who fear him
is from eternity past to eternity future,
and his righteousness extends
to his children’s children,
¹⁸ provided they keep his covenant
and remember to follow his precepts.

¹⁹ Adonai has established his throne in heaven;
his kingly power rules everything.
²⁰ Bless Adonai, you angels of his,
you mighty warriors who obey his word,
who carry out his orders!
²¹ Bless Adonai, all his troops,
who serve him and do what he wants!
²² Bless Adonai, all his works,
in every place where he rules!
Bless Adonai, my soul!

Word of God for the Children of God

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Most of us are always trying to improve something in our lives: leveling-up our skills at work, education, managing our money better, enhancing relationships with loved ones, and even going to a gym dropping pounds as a new year’s goal.

But in our relentless pursuit of self-improvement, it’s so also too easy to fall into the trap of self-criticism. We push ourselves harder and harder, set higher expectations, our inner voice becomes our harshest judge. Then when we have stumble, we respond with mounting frustration, self-doubt, or even shame.

But what if I told you there’s a better way?

A way that feels lighter, more sustainable, and more empowering—one that fosters growth not through force but through grace?

A way that also will be far more effective in actually achieving those self-improvement goals.

That better way is self-compassion.

Why self-criticism holds us back

Many of us mistakenly believe that being hard on ourselves will motivate us to do better. After all, if we hold ourselves to impossibly high standards, we’ll be forced to rise to the occasion, right?

Unfortunately, and in reality, self-criticism often has just the opposite effect.

Instead of propelling us forward, it drags us down. It erodes our confidence, feeds negative narratives, and traps us in cycles of stress and resistance.

When we constantly criticize ourselves, we create an environment where fear of failure takes center stage.

We focus on the wrong thing! Therefore, growth becomes a stressful process driven by the avoidance of mistakes rather than the pursuit of progress.

This mindset robs us of joy, creativity, and the ability to see opportunities for what they are: lessons, not setbacks.

So, what is self-compassion, anyways?!

Self-compassion is the practice of extending kindness, understanding, and patience to ourselves—especially when we fall short of our own expectations.

I like to think of it as treating ourselves exactly the way we would treat your best friend!

For instance, imagine your best friend coming to you, heartbroken over a mistake or failure.

Would you berate them?

Call them a failure?

Tell them that they’ll never be able to get it right?

Of course not!

You would comfort them, encourage them, and remind them that they are still worthy and capable of growth.

Essentially, you would believe in them and help them to do the same.

So why don’t we do the same for ourselves?

Psalm 13 Complete Jewish Bible

13 ⁽⁰⁾ For the leader. A psalm of David:

^2 (1) How long, Adonai?
Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
^3 (2) How long must I keep asking myself what to do,
with sorrow in my heart every day?
How long must my enemy dominate me?

^4 (3) Look, and answer me, Adonai my God!
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death.
^5 (4) Then my enemy would say, “I was able to beat him”;
and my adversaries would rejoice at my downfall.

^6 (5) But I trust in your grace,
my heart rejoices as you bring me to safety.
⁽⁶⁾ I will sing to Adonai, because he gives me
even more than I need.

“But IF I trust in your grace …”

What is TRUST anyway …?

“WILL my heart rejoice as God brings me to safety?”

What is rejoicing anyway …?

What does being brought to safety …?

Will I be “safe” while I am “being brought to safety? …

Psalm 107:23-30 Complete Jewish Bible

²³ Those who go down to the sea in ships,
plying their trade on the great ocean,
²⁴ saw the works of Adonai,
his wonders in the deep.

²⁵ For at his word the storm-wind arose,
lifting up towering waves.
²⁶ The sailors were raised up to the sky,
then plunged into the depths.
At the danger, their courage failed them,
²⁷ they reeled and staggered like drunk men,
and all their skill was swallowed up.

²⁸ In their trouble they cried to Adonai,
and he rescued them from their distress.
²⁹ He silenced the storm and stilled its waves,
³⁰ and they rejoiced as the sea grew calm.
Then he brought them safely
to their desired port.

Will I be “safer” when I reach my final, ultimate “safest” haven? …

Can you relate?

Have you ever experienced a setback, which may have been an innocent occurrence, to speak judgment upon your life?

Have you ever felt the crush of discouragement or self-recrimination because of a struggle or obstacle you face?

I don’t know about you, but I can judge myself negatively when such times occur.

I tell myself that if I were a better Christian, pastor, or prayer warrior, none of this would happen to me.

If God helps those who help themselves, but I am in a place where I need help, well, then God’s not with me, right?

And with these thoughts speaking all too loudly, I render swift harsh judgment upon myself. I vigorously condemn myself far worse than God ever does.

Do you believe setbacks in your life testify to a lack of God’s love?

Do you see struggles or frustrations as testimonies to faithlessness – signs that maybe God isn’t as close as you think?

If you have ever judged yourself negatively because of a setback in your life, then let these words wash over you: “The Lord is compassionate and gracious.”

These words describe the Lord’s fundamental character and elucidate the deepest level of God’s identity.

God does not change like shifting shadows; God is not one thing in one moment and another thing in the next. Our God is eternally compassionate and gracious, abounding in love; these attributes are stalwart, trustworthy, and dependable.

The word “compassion” means “to suffer with”; it means to enter the life of another lovingly. In compassion, there is no judgment or retribution.

This means we can be confident in the Lord’s care over us because the Lord of compassion is not the Lord who will hurl lightning bolts of misfortune at us or deem us unlovable for our struggles. The compassionate love of God embraces us, even when we stumble. We all receive grace upon grace in the hands of Jesus.

Jesus, as the incarnation of God, comes to us, not to yell or scream, but to be compassionate, to love us in our weaknesses, to embrace us in all our humanity.

Jesus joins us in our lives, and the cross testifies to his compassion because it is the eternal sign he suffers with and for us.

And so, we can be confident, amid setbacks, that we are not alone.

And so, if Jesus shows compassion for us amid our setbacks and struggles, shouldn’t we be compassionate to ourselves?

What might it look like to refuse setbacks to speak the final word?

Instead of looking at our stumbles or failings, can we set our sights on our desire to journey closer to Jesus?

Faith rarely exists in palaces of ease and problem-free times.

We all face discouragements, But our faith grows when we dare to hold onto the love of Jesus during those moments.

Like Peter sinking in the sea, Jesus doesn’t turn away leave us treading water – he reaches out to us. And if he reaches out to us, we can sigh with ease, knowing that Christ’s loving compassion has the final word, is indeed, the final Word.

Let’s Pray:

Gracious and compassionate Lord, how blessed is your love over my life?

How all-encompassing it is. How transformative! I thank you for your love for me, which frees me from the need to work my way to you. I thank you, and your grace testifies that your presence in my life is a gift to be embraced, not an award that I need to earn. Lord Jesus Christ, when tempted to be self-critical for my failings and setbacks, help me live in light of your incarnation.

Help me remember that as you entered the fullness of human life, so too do you embrace the fullness of my humanity. You are one who sympathizes with all my weaknesses and is available to me in all my struggles. Lord, allow me to extend compassion on myself – a compassion permanently rooted in your loving care.

Please help me to turn away from the voice of self-doubt, self-recrimination, and self-condemnation. And when these voices rise within me, may your words of compassionate grace speak more loudly, truthfully, authentically, into my divided heart. I turn to you and I choose to live as your beloved child. Amen.

Psalm 8 Complete Jewish Bible

8 ⁽⁰⁾ For the leader. On the gittit. A psalm of David:

^2 (1) Adonai! Our Lord! How glorious
is your name throughout the earth!
The fame of your majesty
spreads even above the heavens!

^3 (2) From the mouths of babies and infants at the breast
you established strength because of your foes,
in order that you might silence
the enemy and the avenger.

^4 (3) When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and stars that you set in place —
^5 (4) what are mere mortals, that you concern yourself with them;
humans, that you watch over them with such care?

^6 (5) You made him but little lower than the angels,
you crowned him with glory and honor,
^7 (6) you had him rule what your hands made,
you put everything under his feet —
^8 (7) sheep and oxen, all of them,
also the animals in the wilds,
^9 (8) the birds in the air, the fish in the sea,
whatever passes through the paths of the seas.

^10 (9) Adonai! Our Lord! How glorious
is your name throughout the earth!

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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