Who are you behind the mask you wear? Do you
wear your feelings on your shoulder for other people to see who you really are?
Do you try to act one way when you really feel another?
Or have you learned that it does not matter
what other people think about you? Are you free from the tyranny of their
opinions? Do you let your insides out?
Our fears and insecurities often define who
we really are inside. We may have a strong spirit, but a very wounded soul. We
appear strong, yet are feeble within.
When people reject us for our weaknesses, we
feel like worthless damaged goods, which increases our fears and insecurities
and compounds our problems.
Some people will actually disdain our inner
self, many simply tolerate us and others dwell with us with understanding. The
good news is that Jesus died for our inner self too.
His Spirit is transforming our inner self
into a new creation through one stage of glory to another (2 Corinthians 3:18).
He slowly peals away the bandages we apply to our wounds.
He exposes the raw emotion and anxiety and
puts the salve of God's unconditional love on each one of them. The only
opinion of us, which really matters is God's.
This revelation frees us from having to hide
behind masks. Jesus encourages us to let our insides out and to receive His
healing for our past and His strength for our future.
Prayer:
Father God, teach us not to value anyone else's
opinion of us, but to gain our identity through Christ in us. We do not need to
rely on any person, place, thing or accomplishment to feel good about our self.
It is our personal relationship with You that makes us a child of the King.
Help us to make room for Jesus on the throne
of our life where He belongs. He is our best friend and He actually sticks
closer to us than any human being ever will (Proverbs 18:24). Your love is ours
both now and throughout eternity and flows over us like a waterfall.
Thought for the Day:
Tolerance is not acceptance; only Jesus fully
accepts us just the way we are, and then perfects us by His Spirit as He fills
us with His joy and peace.
