I’ve been going through my journals from past spiritual direction sessions. I found this one that I wrote several years ago. I had let another person pressure me into doing what she wanted. Growing up a people pleaser, I often tuned out my gut. In red are my Aunt Betty’s words to me:

God works through our gut in giving us a sense of what we should and shouldn’t do. When you condemn yourself, you choose X’s judgment over yourself. You cut off a connection with your gut. The Holy Spirit gives us gut reactions. You helped create Little Miss Perfect. You projected the external thing into A. You thought A always knew what to do. She can be a Nervous Nille. Don’t go the negative ways with her. Take back your power to discern. You give her that power over yourself. Give power back to the Holy Spirit to guide you through your gut. There are times you messed up because of interference with X. Give the whole thing to the Holy Spirit.