Last week, we talked about respecting everyone—including ourselves. And part of respecting ourselves is paying attention to what we're allowing into our lives. Because whether we realize it or not, the things around us have a way of affecting what's happening inside us.

You know what I'm talking about.
Everything's fine.
You're having a good day.
Then you open Facebook or Instagram, see one post, and suddenly...
You're irritated.
Or worried.
Or comparing yourself to somebody.
Or hungry.
I mean, you weren't even thinking about food five minutes ago. Then somebody posts a picture of what they're eating, and now you're trying to figure out where you're going for lunch.
It happens that fast.
And I think it's worth paying attention to.

Last week, we talked about staying consistent - about showing up again and again, even when nobody is applauding, and you're not sure you're making a difference. But there's something else I've learned about showing up for people.
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You can't completely forget about yourself while you're doing it.

One of our core values here at Mercy Drops is Respect Everyone.
Everyone.
That's important.
Because when I say "respect everyone," most of us immediately start thinking about other people.
Our family.
Our friends.
Our neighbors.
The person who's struggling.
The person who's been forgotten.
The person standing right in front of us.
And yes. Absolutely.
Respect them.
But there's somebody else who belongs on that list.
You.

​Last week, we talked about keeping it simple. This week, I want to talk about something that makes every other value possible.
Consistency.
It isn't flashy. Most people won't celebrate it. But I've learned that some of the most important things in life are built because someone simply refused to stop showing up.

One of our core values at Mercy Drops is Stay Consistent.
And I think this value holds all the others together.
It's one thing to love people.
It's another thing to love them consistently.
It's one thing to dream big.
It's another thing to keep believing in that dream when nobody else sees it yet.
It's one thing to respect people.
It's another thing to respect them every single day - even on the hard days.
I've learned that consistency is what turns good intentions into a way of life.

Last week, we talked about believing in the impossible. This week, I want to talk about something that sounds much easier...
Keeping things simple.
​Funny enough, I think it might be one of the hardest values we live out.

One of our core values here at Mercy Drops is Keep It Simple.
I love that one.
Not because it's easy.
Because it reminds me how often I overcomplicate things.
Life has a way of convincing us that every decision has to be harder than it really is.
We overthink. We overanalyze. We wait until we have every answer before we take the next step.
And before we know it...
We've talked ourselves out of moving forward.

Recently in Nugget Time, we talked about dreaming big by starting small. This week feels like the next part of that conversation.
Because sometimes the next step isn't doing more.
Sometimes it's simply choosing to believe again.

One of our values here at Mercy Drops is Believe in the Impossible.
I love that value.
But can I be honest with you for a minute?
There are days I have to remind myself of it.
There are seasons when believing in the impossible feels...well...impossible.
And if I'm being really honest, I think we're living in one of those seasons right now.
We're building.
We're praying.
We're believing.
And every day, we keep showing up.
But there are days I look at everything in front of us and think,
"God...I don't know how You're going to do this."
Maybe you've had a season like that too.
Maybe you're in one right now.