Obstacles Part 4
October 23, 2025
Obstacles Part 4
Obstacles face us every day. One of the most powerful is our inner critic. The inner critic tears us down, deflates, criticizes, undermines, and discourages us. Its three biggest plans of attack are to shame us, anger us, and to instill fear.
Sometimes we react to our inner critic by trying to prove it is wrong. For example, John’s inner critic continually said he was inferior, incompetent, and not so bright. It told him that this fact would eventually be discovered. His inner critic said that he did not deserve happiness, and that his achievements were only through luck. But ironically, John’s ego compensated for these inner criticisms by his acting over-confident and superior to others.
But the soul knows our true place and our right place. The soul is impervious to the inner critic and all its false claims. Tethered to the divine, our souls never question our preciousness. They are not shamed, enticed to anger, or terrorized with imaginings. Our soul does not over-inflate us or react against our inner critic. Our soul dismisses the inner critic’s voices as soon as they begin their chatter and replaces those voices with the voice of truth and love.
When we listen to our soul we listen to God. Our egos have trouble doing this because they attempt to be our own god. But when the soul steers the wheel, we are going in the direction of peace and contentment. When we affirm the truth, we see ourselves and others in a light of compassion. We love ourselves not in a way that makes us superior but in a way that we can accept affirmation from the God who created us.
Spiritual practice: How will you intentionally affirm and love yourself today?
Self-inquiry: What in your outer life may be a compensation for something negative your inner critic tells you?
Prayer: Dear God, When I am in communion with you, I am well. In communion with you, my soul steers my ship. I know what it is like to be steered by other forces ... forces fueled by lies. Today, I ask that I hear your truth and affirmation of me. And I pray that, in turn, I may affirm others in my midst. Amen.
