Denying our
true self and attempting to live up to other people's standards and
expectations will belittle our soul and make us feel inferior and "less
than" those we relate to on a daily basis.
We all crave
acceptance and validation, and there is no one better than us to give that
nurturing support to our own soul. Christ in us also affirms our worth, because
He died for us individually and paid our personal sin debt for us.
God made us
co-heirs with Jesus of His entire Kingdom, He chose us as a Bride for His only
begotten Son, as well as members of the Body over which Jesus is the head. We
are King's kids.
Christ in us
gives us worth by His mercy and grace. We live a fulfilled life by walking in
His Spirit each moment of the day (Galatians 5:15-25). We are not
inconsequential, because we have value to the sacrificial Lamb who died for us.
We set
boundaries around our life and keep toxic people from crossing those lines and
wounding us all over again. We dress in ways that make us happy and please the
Lord, regardless of what anyone else thinks.
We eat a
healthy diet to prevent illness from crippling us mentally, physically,
spiritually and emotionally. We do not suffer from boredom or loneliness,
because Jesus is always with us, directing our steps to give us a fulfilling
life.
We relate to
each person in our life as an individual with worth and acceptance from the
Lord. We make room for these people in our life. We function in our church
family, serving where we feel called to serve in the areas where they need us.
We take an interest in our workmates and neighbors, family and acquaintances.
We stop
Satan from whispering lies in our mind by drawing near to God, resisting the
devil and he has to flee from us (James 4:7). There is no need for us to hide
behind a mask, but we can live as our true self in Christ, feeling happy about
who we are and what we feel God calling us to do with our life.
Prayer:
Father God,
point out our "idols" to us, so that we can lay them at Jesus' feet
for Him to replace with His thoughts and wisdom. Remind us to allow You to mold
us by Your grace according to Your plan for our life. When the cares of this
life overwhelm us, we cast them on Your strong shoulders, because we know that
You really do care about us (1 Peter 5:7) and love us with Your everlasting
love (Jeremiah 31:3).
Help us not
to allow Satan to throw our past up into our mind's focus. Remind us that our
past is covered by the blood of Jesus. Also help us not to worry about the
future, because we know that You have everything in Your control. We want to
forgive those who wounded us, realizing that they too were wounded individuals.
Help us to move on from those negative experiences, no matter how painful they
were, and to embrace the present and future moments that You have planned for
us.
Thought for
the Day:
As we pay
attention to our body, soul and spirit and listen to our concerns, then we can
minister to our self as we minister to other people; and God's Spirit will
exchange our fears, insecurities and issues with His calming fruit. - Galatians
5:22-23
