Learn the Biblical mindset shift that brings joy, confidence, and lasting motivation.
Are you being too hard on yourself?
Many Christian women feel like they should be further along in their health or spiritual journey. Even when they make progress, it still feels like they are falling short. This discouragement often comes from how they measure success.
Instead of celebrating how far God has brought them, they focus on how far they still need to go. But what if God never meant for us to measure our growth that way?
This article reveals a powerful mindset shift that can set you free from guilt and frustration. It’s rooted in Isaiah 61:3 and backed by a life-changing principle known as The Gap and the Gain.
When You Only Focus on the Gap, You Miss the Grace
We all have an ideal version of who we want to be – healthy, joyful, emotionally free, spiritually mature. But if you only measure yourself against that perfect ideal, you will always feel like you are falling short.
That gap between your current self and your ideal self creates a false sense of failure.
You start thinking:
- “I should have lost more weight by now.”
- “I shouldn’t still struggle with this habit.”
- “Why am I not spiritually stronger?”
These thoughts reflect the gap mindset. It steals your joy and blinds you to the progress God already worked in your life.
Shift Your Focus to the Gain
In contrast, the gain mindset comes from comparing your current self to who you used to be. When you do this, you can clearly see how God has healed you, strengthened you, and shaped you over time.
Isaiah 61:3 gives us a beautiful picture of this transformation:
“To give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness… that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.” (Isaiah 61:3 NKJV)
God replaces what was broken with something beautiful. But if you keep looking at your life through the lens of the gap, you will miss the gains that glorify Him.
Look What the Lord Has Done
Ask yourself today:
- What ash has He turned into beauty in your life?
- Where has He brought joy where sorrow once lived?
- How has He clothed you in praise when heaviness used to overwhelm you?
These are your gains. These moments tell the story of God’s faithfulness and power.
When you focus on the gain, you shift from discouragement to worship. You remember that God planted you as a tree of righteousness, not so you could strive in your own strength, but so you could grow through His.
Try This Spiritual Exercise Today
Take 5 minutes to reflect and write down three specific ways God has helped you grow in the last year.
You might be surprised by how much fruit your life is already bearing.
Then, pause and say aloud:
“Look what the Lord has done.”
Let that become your anthem of gratitude and strength.
Want Help Walking This Out Daily?
The Take Back Your Temple program exists to help women just like you heal emotionally, grow spiritually, and walk in daily victory through God’s strength. If you are tired of trying to change through willpower and ready to let God lead your healing journey, this is your next step.
Learn more about Take Back Your Temple here
“He who began a good work in you will complete it.” (Philippians 1:6)
Let’s stop measuring our growth the world’s way and start measuring it by grace