Here is a verse for when you think you're not enough. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority. Colossians 2:10 There are days when I look in the mirror or look at someone else's life and think things like, "Why me?" or "Why not me?" Or sometimes...just "Why?" God didn't make a mistake. He molded me into who I am today. He put every piece of me, my emotions, my personality together to make me his masterpiece. I am so valuable to Him. God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:8-10 -- NLT So far I have loved learning who I am in Christ. These verses have been the very nectar I've needed to restore my soul. I can come to these verses and remember during the most discouraging moments that Jesus has so much more in store for me and my life. My life is in the Spirit. So there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. -- Romans 8:1 NLT I belong to Him and have a life that I can't even begin to imagine. And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. -- Romans 8:10 NLT I am free. I am freed from sin's control and power. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. -- Romans 6:7 NLT That moment that Jesus gave His life for us, you and I were freed. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. -- John 1:12 NLT I love my kids. They are beautiful, shy, loving, kind, sweet, energetic...and sometimes chaotic. But they're my kids. They fight, they hit, they yell, they get angry. They cry, they stomp off, they slam doors. But they're my kids. They snuggle, they kiss, they hug. And they're my kids. There is nothing that my kids can do that will ever take my love from them. Nothing. My kids know that they can come to me. I may not be able to fix everything the way they want, but they know that I love them with all my heart. It hurts when I have to see the natural consequences of their actions affect them, but it also blesses my heart when those natural consequences build them up. That's how God feels about me. I do all of the above and then some and yet, He. Loves. Me. I am His child. He wants me to come to him, regardless if I'm in the wrong. He wants to help me work it out and experience the consequences, whether good or bad, so that I can learn to seek and trust him. Remind yourself that you are God's child. Do you remember high school? Do you WANT to remember high school? Well, I think for me the renovation of self came in college. I grew up with the same people, in the same classes for 10 years. It's really hard to reinvent one's self after that long of a period. So when I left the fish bowl of high school and ventured into the ocean of college, I decided that it was time for a change. That change actually didn't happen till my second year of college when my high school relationship of 3 years ended. Let me tell you, I was a wreck. I had isolated myself so much that I had no one to talk to, no one to confide in. It was horrible. Bean, don't ever let a boy come between you and your friends. Keep being who you are. Include everyone. Don't shut them out because one day you'll need them more than ever. April came around and I started to hang out with my coworkers quite a lot and decided that who I was wasn't good enough to be loved. I dated...who am I kidding...I slept around quite a lot. I got hurt and I hurt people. That's why I left San Diego. I couldn't handle who I was becoming. My relationship with God was me hiding and not seeking him for his help. When I moved up to Washington, I met a gal at work who asked me to go to church for Easter. God. Met. Me. There. Right. Where. I. Was. I'm so grateful for his words: The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 2 Corinthians 5:17b NLT I screw up every day. Every. Single. Day. Sometimes twice on Sundays. Those words are words of redemption for my heart. I belong to Christ and I am a new creation. I am HIS creation. I am HIS.
I have to "let the Spirit renew {my} thoughts and attitude." Ephesians 4:22 And when I do, I only grow closer. Sometimes it feels like one step forward, two steps back. But knowing that Christ is refining me and making me into something better every day, is a humbling experience. Just remember, you are a new creation. You are HIS. I forgive you. Those were the words I wrote to him. I forgive you. I didn't know how to say them out loud in the moment, but I knew I could write it down in our journal. This journal is a running dialogue between me and my man. There are words of encouragement, fun and exciting things that are going on in our lives, and now, unfortunately, hurts. I just purchased some composition books and wrapped them in wrapping paper to give as a MOPs table favor to the ladies at my table. I decided to give these because I feel that it is important to communicate with your spouse. Some people are direct and can have open and frank conversations, others may need to take some time to put down their thoughts. Plus, it's just a really neat thing to be able to look back on. God spoke to me earlier that day in my devotions, but little did I know that this is what He wanted me to do that day. On my YouVersion app, one of my plans is Simplify based on the book by Bill Hybels. That day's content was From Wounded to Whole -- Making Room for Forgiveness. Sometimes we grossly underestimate the true cost of living with a relational rift. We think we can go about our lives unaffected by conflicts and fractures with people we care about; but this, of course, is far from true. Relational breakdowns extract energy from us. They take up head space and heart space. They hang over us like a dark, gray cloud....We cannot live simplified lives without attending to broken relationships. Relational rift. Check. Conflict and fractures. Check. Energy extracted. Check. Head space and heart space consumed. Check, check. Dark cloud. Check. All these things were looming over me. And amidst the chaos in my heart, the words, "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing." rang loud and clear. Even at the worst moment in his life, Jesus forgave. Colossians 2:13-14 says, "You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it on the cross." Holy moly. Just let that soak in for a bit. I am totally forgiven. We are totally forgiven. There weren't any stipulations that came with that forgiveness. Just utter and complete forgiveness. So why wouldn't I choose to forgive my husband and best friend? I chose forgiveness because I wanted to start the healing process immediately. But just because I forgave the incident doesn't mean that the hurt isn't there. Trust me, I was practically in bed all day yesterday trying to sort things out in my head. But I knew that the hardest part of forgiving was done. We are working on healing our relationship and I can honestly say that I truly love this man even more. I can look at him in the eyes and know that our love is stronger. Forgiveness and prayer are tools that we've been given in our marriage. What if you simplified your life by offering forgiveness? Check out the other #write31days blogs here.
Did you miss the first few days? 31 Days to My True Identity We Are Adequate In Christ I Am Never Alone |
About MeHi! I'm Kate. Thanks for joining me here. I'm wife to my Man, Mark and mama to my 4 kids. I'm a foster, soon-to-be adoptive mom to our 2 oldest. I love my family, God and Young Living essential oils.
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