In my last journal entry I wrote on my love for the song "You Say" By Lauren Daigle. I think it is important to be filled with such encouragement and truth in a world filled with hate and sin. I love this song because whatever mood I am in, it always encourages me. We are so easily swayed by the ways of this world and we tend to put our hope in human relationships. I have written on that before but it is such an easy trap to get into. Here is a quote by C.S. Lewis that explains it so well:
God always allows us to feel the frailty of human love so we will appreciate the strength of His. - C.S. Lewis
So if you are ever questioning why God allows us to struggle, to feel heartbreak, or to experience failure it is solely for us recognize how much stronger our God is! We are supposed to run to the Father in times of desperation and celebration. When we do this, we will remember what He says about us through every trial.
I mentioned this in my blog about not being ashamed of your testimony that sometimes I worried that I am not lovable because of my testimony. But isn't it cool that we do not even have to worry about being loved?! Why not? Because the Creator of the universe is pursuing you daily and loves you more than you can ever comprehend. And when we grasp that concept just a little bit, the worry of being loved by others slowly fades. I feel as if most everyone is a people pleaser whether they admit it or not. But, when we live our life trying to become more like Jesus, we won't crave human affection as much as we once did. We start to focus more on what Jesus says about us rather than what the world has to say about us.
If you are someone who craves to be loved and finds their identity in people. Let me tell you it will fail you. We can only find our identity in Christ. Of course, being loved by people is great. The reality is, not everyone is going to like you. And that is okay, there were people and are people who hate Jesus. And Jesus is the only perfect person to walk this earth. So that should tell you something. Only find your worth and identity in Christ. It won't be easy. In fact, it will be a daily battle of surrender. Living in a fallen world is hard and a daily challenge to choose Jesus over self. Although, choosing Jesus over self is always worth it.
Another aspect of this, is what we say about ourselves. We all talk down to ourselves. Maybe it is because you believe the lies you have been told by others. Or maybe it is because you believe you are not pretty enough, smart enough, or good enough. Whatever the case is, know those thoughts are not God thoughts. I can't speak for guys, but us girls are constantly looking at our own flaws and comparing them to others. We will stand in front of the mirror to point out the physical attributes we do not like about ourselves. We laugh at the movie scenes where girls do that because we know how true and sadly real it is. You are more than an outward appearance. We insult ourselves out loud because maybe we believe it, but we also crave attention and compliments. When this happens know what the Lord has to say about you before you go speaking lies about yourself, or even others.
Through Jesus, you are:
God's child
Chosen
Loved
Forgiven
Protected
Set free
Redeemed
Complete
Delighted in
Washed Clean
Wonderfully made
Set apart
A masterpiece
Victorious
Accepted
- Emily Joy Journal
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