There are a lot of pieces of my life that I haven't unpacked. I haven't given myself the opportunity to just sit in them. I'm very good at getting angry with myself because of the way that I feel. I tell myself I shouldn't feel like this because of that and I shouldn't feel like that because of this. And I'm a very sensitive and emotional person so this is a constant battle.
I talk down on myself, I shame myself, I get embarrassed of the way I feel things. I'm supposed to take these pieces of baggage to God because He's the only person that has the ability to heal me. But so much of the time I don't believe He will. I don't trust that He sees me and He's listening to me and that He knows my heart.
Isn't it crazy that all of the qualities about us that we hate are the things that God loves? All of the imperfections are exactly the opposite. My stubbornness, my tendency to feel things so deeply, my need for constant affirmation, my desire to please others. He created all of those qualities about me specifically for me, why would He hate them?
Take a minute and let that sink in.
You. are. unconditionally. loved.
I become immune to God's character and don't often just sit in it. It's like fast forwarding through the side effects on a medicine commercial. I kind of do that and tune out the FACTS of who God is. But please just take a minute to slow down and understand this:
Nothing you or I could ever do could make the creator of the world stop loving us, stop Him from wanting to be on our side, stop Him from pursuing us.
Stop being ashamed of all the things you were created with. Stop shaming yourself for struggling with trust. Stop shaming yourself for your past.
He has already forgiven us for the things we won't forgive ourselves for.
Good song: "Pieces" - Amanda Cook
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Romans 8:38-39The Message (MSG) (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+8%3A38-39&version=MSG)
31-39 So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us? And who would dare tangle with God by messing with one of God’s chosen? Who would dare even to point a finger? The One who died for us—who was raised to life for us!—is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:
They kill us in cold blood because they hate you.
We’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.
We’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.
None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.
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Today, try to let this all sink in.
Hope your day is lit af
