Your Weekly Soul Pause
A few moments each week to return to your Spiritual Heart, nourish your Soul Cup, and let your Inner Sparkle shine.
Hello Beautiful Soul,
Something happened recently between my husband and me that gave me an opportunity to look a little deeper within myself. And it all started with a receipt.
I had purchased something for my husband’s business, and later he asked me for the receipt. During our conversation, he explained that when he makes purchases, he usually separates the business items from the personal items because it makes the accounting easier.
Pretty simple, right?
But almost immediately, I noticed something happening inside me.
I felt guilty.
His comment somehow became, in my mind, that I did something wrong. And then another thought quickly followed.
I’ve disappointed him.
And right behind that came another familiar response:
How can I make this better? How can I please him so he’ll know I’m sorry?
Before I knew it, I wanted to make it better. All of this from a conversation about a receipt!
As I reflected on it later, I became aware that my husband hadn’t actually told me I had done anything wrong. He hadn’t told me he was disappointed in me. And he certainly wasn’t trying to make me feel guilty.
I had made myself feel guilty.
I had taken what he said, interpreted it through my own thoughts and feelings, and made his comment mean something about me.
That awareness made me stop and look a little deeper. Why had I immediately made myself wrong? And that’s when I began thinking differently about guilt.
There are times when guilt can be helpful. If I’ve hurt someone, acted in a way that doesn’t align with who I want to be, or made a choice I regret, guilt can get my attention. It can lead me to apologize, make amends, or choose differently next time. But this wasn’t one of those times.
I hadn’t done something wrong. I had simply done something differently than my husband would have. Yet somewhere inside me, different had become wrong.
I’ve been thinking about this experience as we move into September and toward the beginning of fall. There’s something about this season that naturally draws me inward.
The air begins to change. The days slowly become shorter. Soon, the leaves will begin letting go of their branches. And maybe there’s an invitation for us in that.
What are we ready to become aware of and perhaps begin letting go of too?
I’ve started thinking of these old thoughts, beliefs, judgments, and patterns as cobwebs of the heart and soul. They can accumulate so quietly that we don’t even realize they’re there.
Self-doubt. Guilt. Shame. Fear. Worry. Anger. Resentment. Unforgiveness. Judgments. Expectations. The fear of disappointing someone. The need to please. They aren’t who we are. But when they accumulate, they can take up space within us and begin to dull our Inner Sparkle.
I’m learning that clearing these cobwebs doesn’t begin by judging myself for having them. That would simply create another cobweb! For me, it begins with awareness. Instead of asking:
What’s wrong with me?
I’m learning to ask:
What is this showing me about myself? What did I make this situation mean about me? Is what I’m telling myself actually true?
That conversation with my husband became an unexpected Soul Pause. It gave me an opportunity to notice something within myself that was ready for my attention. And maybe that’s part of what it means to come home to our Spiritual Heart.
Sometimes we have to become aware of what’s been getting in the way. Not so we can make ourselves wrong for it. So we can lovingly clear some space. Space for God’s love and light. Space for peace. Space for joy. Space for freedom. Space to remember the loving essence within us and who God created us to be.
And for me, that day, it meant remembering something very simple:
I am the one who chose to make myself feel guilty. Not my husband or anyone else.
Funny how an ordinary moment can reveal something within us that’s been quietly waiting for our attention.
✨ Reflection
Think about a recent moment when you felt guilty or believed you had done something wrong. Without judging yourself, become curious.
What actually happened? What did you make the situation mean about you? Did you truly do something that didn’t align with your values, or did you simply make yourself wrong?
And perhaps most importantly:
What might this experience be showing you about yourself?
💜 Heartfelt Invitation
This week, if guilt shows up, pause before automatically believing it. Take a breath. Return to your Spiritual Heart. Instead of asking, What’s wrong with me? ask:
What’s happening within me right now?
You don’t have to fix the feeling or push it away. Simply become aware of it. Listen. Get curious. And ask yourself whether there might be an old cobweb underneath it that’s ready for a little attention.
I’m practicing this right alongside you. One cobweb at a time.
✨ Soul Pause Blessing
May this week’s Soul Pause give you the courage to look within with love rather than judgment.
May you become aware of the thoughts and old stories that cause you to make yourself wrong when perhaps you’ve done nothing wrong at all.
May God help you clear what you’re ready to release and fill that newly opened space with His love and light.
And may every cobweb you clear reveal a little more of the loving essence that has been within you all along.
With a grateful heart,
Bobbi 💜
Founder & CEO of Heart & Soul Publishing
You matter. Keep shining your Inner Sparkle. The world needs your light.