Are you proud of yourself?

'This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old is gone; the new has begun.' 2 corinthians 5:17

It is so hard, I think for women especially, to say we are proud of ourselves. There is fear of being judge self righteous, boastful or self promoting. Yet, when one turns the concept a bit, realizes that in God this is the only way; to be proud and walk in confidence his path for oneself, self righteousness, boasting and self promotion are impossible. One's whole life, every breath, becomes a testament to God's grace; a glorification of his mercy~
I believe whole heartedly, for the first time in my life, that grace has found its way through the self-inflicted guilt and lacking that I thought was the Me of me. The above phrase alone did it for me: so simple yet so profound. It turned my thinking around, tossed guilt to the curb and cracked off the hardened shell of the self I had made. Revealing the beautiful empowered grace-filled self that God put on this earth with a purpose. The old is gone and the new has begun and I am so proud of myself. I heard His call to me. I trusted in the direction His voice was sending me; to make a much better Me than even my own wildest dreams could conjur. I took hold of faith in that His grace would accept my broken self and allow me to begin walking His path designed exclusively for me. And boy, now I am proud. Like never before I can say with utmost confidence, that I am proud of who I am. in love! trish