Since we are born into this world in the fleshly realm,
we grow up depending on our body and soul to interpret for us the meaning of
life's circumstances. We end up making carnal decisions due to our dependence
on our human reasoning.
Many of us grow up in an environment of criticism, shame
and belittlement. Our sense of self-worth is buried in the pits of despair, and
we never feel good enough. We enter adulthood adopting as our own the opinion
of us held by the peers and adults in our life.
We critically judge our self by unrealistic standards and
carry that over into our relationships with other people. This stems from hurt,
anger, bitterness and resentment that increased as we experienced more and more
pain and trauma during our lifetime on this sin-cursed planet.
We embarrass our self by our peculiarities and we feel
frustrated with our thoughts, attitude and behavior; therefore, we attempt to
reinvent our personality to mirror that of people whom we respect and admire.
We struggle with depression and we lack passion and
enthusiasm. We are often overcome with panic attacks caused by anxiety over not
measuring up to the results expected of us. We end up speaking and acting in
ways that we do not understand (Romans 7:15, 24).
Some of us pursue ambitious goals rather than personal
relationships. Others neglect our
health, eat on the run, and put exercise on the back burner to think about at a
later date and time.
We desire more than anything to belong, to feel loved,
and to fit in to a family or group of people who share like-minded ideals. Only
in Christ will we ever find our fulfillment as part of the Kingdom and family
of God.
We may look in other places to find gratification, and
fool our self into believing we are content and happy; but we always have that
emptiness deep within our soul that haunts our steps and colors our opinion of
our self and others, until we totally surrender to our King Jesus.
Prayer:
Father God, once we submit to Your love for us, we lose
much of our depression, self-condemnation and criticism. You enable us to feel
that, in Christ, we are enough. You have a plan for our life; and as we walk in
it, we find love, peace, joy and fulfillment that is not available from any
other place on this earth.
We start our journey by admitting that we are a sinner in
need of a Savior, continue by believing that Jesus is our only Savior, and then
finally committing our life to walk in Your ways and according to Your will for
our life. We revel in Your love, see Your hand in the midst of our
circumstances, and trust in You to work out everything for our ultimate good
(Romans 8:28).
Thought for the Day:
Living by, walking in and depending on the Spirit of God takes discipline, discernment and a personal relationship with our living Savior; but is the most fulfilling and joy-filled life available to us on this earth.
Living by, walking in and depending on the Spirit of God takes discipline, discernment and a personal relationship with our living Savior; but is the most fulfilling and joy-filled life available to us on this earth.
