Tag: judgement

Walking Judgments

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Walking Judgments 7-2-17

As I walk through my building with mud from my boots to my knees I am filled with so many negative judgments of myself. I get the impression the people in the building are staring at me. I imagine what they are thinking, and envision the thoughts of disgust and jokes. I felt insecure and embarrassed by my appearance. The more I walked through the building a second judgment started to creep into my mind. No one noticed, I think to myself. Was that true? Had no one noticed in 7 floors did no one notice my dreadful appearance? Then I try to imagine which one was worse, that fact those who did probably passed negative judgments, or that I am so insignificant at my job that no one would notice at all.

Bad judgments all around swirl in an out of thought with little regard of a purpose. It’s hard going through life always casting judgments around like a snow blizzard falling to the ground. We try and try to squish the uprising before they reach the surface, but always too little too late.

Checking The Facts:

 

  1. I was involved with the rescue of a man who was ejected from his vehicle.
  2. Without going home I was already doing to be 20 minutes late for work
  3. I did a good thing by stopping and helping.
  4. Negative judgments happen and we can’t always change that.

It’s hard to face when we think those thoughts and feelings control our day. The truth is, we often give away so much power to others, and we keep very little for ourselves. The pain we hold onto deep inside is often the reason we give up so much, and allow so much negativity to infect or infest our lives.

Are our biggest self-judgments linked to our biggest fear? I believe the answer is yes. For example my biggest fear is abandonment. When I am dating someone I feel I will not be good enough and they will leave. When I’m working I fear I won’t be good enough at my job, or not be needed at my position. The truth is when it comes to both the judgments of others shouldn’t affect me as much as they do. We obviously know the old saying “sticks and stones my break my bones but names will never hurt me.” We know that’s a crock of crap. We know that words do hurt because were human, and we have feelings. We know that bullying does hurt us, that someone we love when they say cruel things often cut the deepest. The key to overcoming that is repetitive action of telling yourself Jesus loves you, and the judgment of God is the most important thing. We cannot live our lives listening to the lies were told by the world.

Today’s society is obsessed by looks, everything on TV is about looking right, makeup, fashion, and as always TV shows must have the most attractive people on the planet. We watch this worldview all around us and it sinks in and when we look in the mirror we don’t see that perfect image. I myself have struggled with my limitations and even recently as I’ve tried to get back into the dating world, I see myself as a failure. It’s a tough pill to swallow and when it seems there’s so much against you it’s hard not to pass judgments upon yourself. I’m not very good at this myself; I’m not good at keeping a positive attitude about myself. I often think negative thoughts about my looks, my voice, my life, and I often think of myself as a failure in my love life and even my professional life. To top it off as more and more of my close friends are becoming parents I look at my own life and as 7 years with my ex wife came to a close and realizing I still don’t have the family I’ve always prayed for, the children I’ve always wanted, I judged myself to be a failure and I truly felt it deep down into my heart. I realize this isn’t Gods plan for me, and I realize the little voice feeding me the negative emotions, the harmful thoughts are Satan whispering in my ear, and it’s incredibly difficult to ignore.

As I confess my deepest fears, my deepest failings, I don’t do so to gather sympathy, but the opposite, to spread hope. As I have been faced with so much in the last year, and throughout my life, I know that God is still on my side, I know that all these years of pain God’s been there in the trenches with me. “I’ve paid my dues, time after time, I’ve done my sentence but committed no crime. And bad mistakes I’ve made a few. I’ve had my share of sand kicked in my face but I’ve come through… We are the champions, my friends, and we’ll keep on fighting ‘til the end.” We all know the song, we all know Queen’s ‘We are the Champions’. Let me tell you, as long as we have God on our side, we are the champions of this world, because we will live in Eternity with the creator of all. We will overcome all our trials, our troubles, and we will be dubbed champions over death, if we just allow Christ into our lives. In Christ we will always rise above hate, bigotry, fear, sorrow, loss, and disappointment. We never know what tomorrow will bring. We will always feel the rainbow of emotions, but we will always have help getting through the tough days we WILL have. Have faith in the lord. Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understand. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

Feeding the Darkness

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Feeding the Darkness 

After a tragedy in your life you may find yourself on a perpetual lope, you’re on repeat playing the same tone over and over again. In that you are holding onto the pain and suffering caused by whatever trauma you’ve endured. What happens when we get stuck? Anger breeds upon itself. Proverbs 29:11 “Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end.” When we allow ourselves to stay angry we put ourselves inside a fortress and we don’t allow anyone to enter. When we do that we cut off our relationship with anyone who wants to love us to include friends, family, and most importantly God. Ephesians 4:26-27 “26 In your anger do not sin” : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. 29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.” This being a longer verse let’s talk about it. When we are angry we often find ourselves unable to make sound judgments. We open the door and everything we have is ripe for the taking when the Devil finds us in a state of suggestibility. The evil whispers in our ear to do things we usually wouldn’t do. I believe the general idea of these verses is telling us to turn that anger into something we can use. Redirect that anger and make good of it, allow ourselves to focus and help others. Build others up instead of tearing down in our anger. Find a way to let go of the bitterness, rage and anger that sit in the pit of our stomachs and spawn more negativity.

When we find ourselves getting angry which is a normal emotion, how we handle it is what’s important. Ecclesiastes 7:9 “9 Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.” We must learn to extend our fuse, make it harder to be provoked to do something harsh. The Devil wants us to fly off the handle because when we do we often hurt those closest to us. This damages the positive relationships we have and thus harming the relationships with God our Father.

 The phrase “Kill um with kindness.” Isn’t just a clever euphemism it’s actually a Biblically derived statement. Proverbs 15:1 “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” When others get angry if we find a way to maintain calm, it’s hard for the other person to keep shouting when instead of the reverberation affect, you act as a dampener. It takes two people in the ring to box. Without the opponent you just look silly shadow boxing yourself. Proverbs 15:8 “18 A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.”

 Be the calm in every storm. When we argue with one another and we start to yell, we start to curse, we start to dredge up the past, when we start resorting to name calling and all manner of vial things spew from your mouth, that is feeding the darkness. It’s not just focusing on your own pain, it’s also fueling others pain to grow as well. Often we argue with the ones we love the most and instead of allowing yourself to fall into a cycle of self loathing, self destruction, self gratification, allow yourself to see the error in your own way, and others will see the difference. We cannot change others, but by our own actions we may influence by allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us, to work through us and affect those around us. Anger is contagious, hatred is contagious, but so is love, so is kindness. It’s much harder to love and overcome things that make us upset or the things that hurt us, but we cannot be the judges of that. We cannot be judge, jury, and executioner because we aren’t qualified to do that. All we can do is love, pray, and be a positive influence on those around us. No one wants to be around the Big Green Guy all the time. They want to be around Bruce Banner instead, the mild mannered scientist whose got a good heart. Be the person with the good heart that everyone can see. Don’t let the disease spread through you and your life, learn to let it go. Forgive and Love. Those are the keys to living a happy life.

 

 

 

From The Inside Out

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From The Inside Out

“It’s not who we are underneath, it’s what I do that defines me.” Batman Begins. I have been struggling to find my path. I’ve been trying to find my place in this world. The world is a harsh and unforgiving place sometimes. As Christians we know that the road we walk is not an easy one. We know that the path to success is not through cruelty or intimidation. We know that the ‘good guy’ doesn’t finish last because Christ just doesn’t work like that. There’s a song I’ve been listening to lately, Help Me Find It by Sidewalk Profits. I’ve been searching for my place ever since my marriage fell apart back in September. I lost so much that month to almost include my life. I felt a sense of peace and calm the months following. I knew God’s hand protected me, saved me. I knew that the Lord would light my path and everything would be taken care of. As time went on and I started a new job, started moving on with my life, it seemed that things were starting to look up. The Devil got a hold of the right people in my life and tried to once again destroy me. I watched as my life was attacked by a full frontal assault and I lost my job, and so much more. As I’ve been sitting trying to find the right path for myself, I felt the wave of anxiety flood into my mind, and I realized that it wasn’t just affecting my decision-making it was affecting everything. It changed my mood, my work ethic, and my drive to do anything other then sulk on the couch. A few days ago I was listening to the radio, KLove. I had been praying for something, anything to help me find my direction.

Help Me Find It, Sidewalk Prophets

I don’t know where to go from here
As long as I know that You are near
I’m done fighting
I’m finally letting go

 

If there’s a road I should walk
Help me find it
If I need to be still
Give me peace for the moment
Whatever Your will
Whatever Your will
Can you help me find it
Can you help me find it

 

I will wait for You
You’ve never failed before
I will wait for You

When those particular verses came up, I realized I hadn’t been making good on my promise to the Lord to give my everything and trust to God. The entire song is centered around my exact struggle. It’s funny how God has been using KLove to reach me. When the time for the next song has come up every time I’ve needed it, it’s timing has been perfect. I have realized that to find my path I needed to find calm and listen. Within a couple days I realized a potential path. I did exactly what we are taught in the Bible and I sought out Godly Counsel. It was then I realized where I needed to focus my efforts. It was amazing once I got it in my head my course seemed to clear of fog and thorns on my path. Now I’m not saying it’s clean sailing, there are particular logistics that need to be worked out, but in God all things are possible if we only believe and trust, and remain faithful.

What we do defines who we are. The content of our heart albeit good or evil can only remain hidden for so long if we hide our true intentions. They say true beauty lies within and not just on the surface. I find it truly sad to know that so many people will only judge you superficially and never give you a chance if you don’t meet the top of the attractive level. It’s a universal constant it seems. Now I’m not saying it’s not important to have an attraction to someone because sure, that’s important, but you have to be able to see more then just the surface. I think a person needs to be like an iceberg. On the surface you see only a small portion of the whole picture. I think we as Christians need to get better at looking at more then just the outside, but if we are to judge at all, judge someone by the content of their heart. If a person is going to live and love Christ we can’t underestimate the importance of that walk. You can be the most attractive woman in the world, but if you don’t follow Christ, and you are the cruelest person in the world, what difference is it that she’s pretty? The sad part about knowing someone’s heart is that it can change in an instant. Knowing the Devil is always trying to break up homes, lives, and pulls you away from God.

Don’t let yourself be pretty on the outside but black as night on the inside. Things like loyalty, honor, dignity, self-respect, love, and most of all trust and faith in the Lord, are true qualities that make you a beautiful person. Being kind and not a shallow, judgmental, liar is by far a big step in being pretty both inside and out. 1 Peter 3:3-4 “Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.” Much like God who looks at the inward heart of a man so shall we. 1 Samuel 16:7 “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” When we choose to love someone, or in fact judge someone we should remember that looks will fade away, but the splendor of the heart will remain. This is not just a euphemism, but instead can be pulled straight from scripture. 2 Corinthians 4:16 “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.”

So when you are looking for your path, trust in the Lord with your heart. Trust that when you are faithful if something is to be used to glorify God your desires will be made true. And when you desire the love of someone of the opposite sex know that the right person will come along if we are true to the glorification of Christ. Look at the big picture and don’t make worldly decisions based on worldly expectations. Find the beauty within, and trust in the Lord. As the old saying goes, “Never Judge a Book By Its Cover.”

Warriors

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Warriors

Surrounded by God’s glory, I fall to my knees and lift up my prayers. God’s glory is bigger then me, it’s bigger then all. I pray for clarity, I pray for peace, for comfort, guidance. “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” We walk our path and we stray away, we loose the light and we wander in the dark. We are afraid of the dark and we loose our control. We wrong one another, we hurt one another, but someday light must shine. 1 Thessalonians 5:15 “See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone.” WE must face God and before God answer for our sins. WE must look to those who we have wronged, and ask for forgiveness. WE must not hold onto hate, or hold a grudge. We must learn to love and allow others to love us. We are not alone on this world. It’s never too late to turn around, to find that faith again. It’s never to late to trust in God. It’s never too late to listen to the voice of truth and realize all those fears and all those lies that seem to be laughing at you, saying you can’t do it, it’s too big. Simply put “Do or Do Not, there is no Try.” You have the Armor of God and you have thousands of warriors behind you. We are all warriors for Christ so pick up that sword, pick up the helmet, the breastplate, and buckle those sandals for when you are pushed you can dig in and defend yourself. Saten will try to get in. He will try to find a chink in the armor so be aware of the word, be aware of the falsehoods of man. Listen to the voice of truth of God and on that day you too can withstand the Whiles of the Devil.

Just because it’s old doesn’t mean it’s broke

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Just because it’s old doesn’t mean it’s broke

Isaiah 54:17 “17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the Lord.”

The arrow is one of the oldest ways to hunt yet we still use it today. A projectile (bullet) has hardly changed at all in nearly 200 years. The guns themselves, though they look different, the ergonomics have made things more comfortable, haven’t changed in functionality. The Brownings .50 cal machine gun, didn’t go through any changes till just recently. For so long the gun didn’t have any alterations despite being as old as it was.

Luke 5:36-39 “36 He also told them a parable: “No one tears a piece from a new garment and puts it on an old garment. If he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. 37 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins will be destroyed. 38 But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. 39 And no one after drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.” Jesus isn’t saying that new things aren’t good, what he’s saying is just because it’s old doesn’t mean it doesn’t have value.

Where do we find our valued items? Do we discard the things we have that we stop using; do we discard things even if they can be fixed? Do we place value in things of old?

Many in our society today feel that Christianity, or religion in general is an antiquated idea, that has survived far longer then it should have or needed to. Many feel that religion though once held a valid purpose no longer holds the same function of the days when forward thinking was considered witchcraft.

It’s amazing; recently Nintendo released the NES classic. This is a system that’s based on 25-year-old tech, but we still love it today. No matter how old our faith goes, it has survived the passage of time. Faith springs eternal. Faith James 1:5-8 “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all [men] liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8 A double minded man [is] unstable in all his ways.”

 In Star Trek TNG ‘Relics’ Scotty is found alive and well by the crew of the Enterprise 1701 D. As he struggles to find his place on a ship nearly 75 years into the future he and La Forge quickly realize that just because something’s old, doesn’t mean it can’t be useful.

Scotty: Maybe so. But when they can build ships like your Enterprise, who’d want to pilot an old bucket like this?

Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge: I don’t know. If this ship were operational, I bet she’d run circles around the Enterprise at impulse speeds. Just because something’s old doesn’t mean you throw it away.

 Before you pass judgment on something old, remember, look beneath the surface, dig round a little, you never know what kind of treasures might still exist. As for Christianity, well the biggest treasure of all, eternal salvation.

The Man Under the Hood

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The Man Under the Hood

By The Arrow Preacher

 Imagine yourself walking down a long road, mountainous, dry, dusty, at night, and all of a sudden out from behind the rocks 3 men jump out beat you to the ground, steal everything you own to include your coat, your wallet, your sandals, and leave you there bloody, cut, and dying. The sunrise comes as a welcome sight. Finally someone will see you and come and help. Your suffering is obvious; someone will surely stop and provide aid. You struggle to breath, you raise your hand to try and stop the masses from walking by you. Some even move to the other side of the road to get away from you. You can’t believe it, of all these people no one has enough compassion to stop and help? You see a peace officer pass by you and never stops or even slows down. A little while later you see and recognize your local senator you call to them, gasping past your own broken lung, but they walk by you, not looking down, pretending you don’t exist. Defeated, broken, and barely conscious you think it’s then end of the road for you. The day parches your throat, lips are chapped, and as the stars start to come up as the sun falls, a dark figure comes from nowhere. A dark hood covers his face so you can’t see him. He picks you up, barely conscious now, and carries you to a nearby inn. He pays for your stay, gets a first aid kit, and orders the innkeeper to help bandage you up. He says he’ll pay for everything. A dark knight from the shadows, a faceless protector the one to save your life, but who is this man under the hood?

Luke 10:25-37 “And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.”

 Who are you in the story? Who are we all? “I always thought that I was the Samaritan in that story. It’s funny, isn’t it? How even the best of men can be… deceived by their true nature. What the hell does that mean? It means that I’m not the Samaritan. That I’m not the priest, or the Levite. That I am the ill intent… who set upon the traveler on a road that he should not have been on.” (Wilson Fisk) The ill intent of the travelers is most certainly the Devil and his games. He will brings destruction to everything He touches. During this war good people, civilians are caught in the firefight, casualties of war. The good honest man just trying to go to work, trying to take care of his family, trying to be a husband, trying to be a good wife, a good mom, the devil doesn’t care how it’s done so much as lives are ruined. The Peace officer who walked by, the politician who walked by let their hearts be hardened, let their cultural stereotyping blind them to the truth. It doesn’t matter how someone looks, how someone sounds, we are all people first and we should be treated as such. In my own life I have been bullied, beat up, tortured emotionally by people different then myself. Even today as I find myself putting my life back together I have skeletons in my closet that could cause people to pass an unfair judgment upon me.

Is this what we do when we see the homeless on the side of the road? Is this what we do when we see someone suffering online, or at work? If the ill intent is the Devil inside us, who then is under the hood? Jesus commanded we love our neighbors, and that wasn’t just the ones we liked, the ones we tolerated, but our enemies, those who wish to do us harm. Christ living in us, is the man under the hood. It doesn’t matter what they look like, doesn’t matter who they are, what matters are those who are willing to do right and make a difference without seeking glory, or even a thank you. The hood can be worn by anyone, and anyone can be the Good Samaritan. We may not always get a thank you, we may not always be safe doing Gods work, but if doing Gods work leads to your own death, then that just means you get to go home sooner. Don’t be afraid to put on that hood and do good works. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” He lives so we can live without fear, we can live knowing that tomorrow we could be in perfection.

 

Jesus the real super hero

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Jesus the real super hero

When bad things happen to us it’s easy to allow anger, frustrations, bitterness and for some hate to compound and grow in ones heart. When we are hurt or betrayed, sold out, left or forgotten by the people we care for most in this world, it can force us to fear others, fear even ourselves. When we suffer it’s easy to pull away from the light. “Once you let the darkness in it never comes out.” (The Huntress) So if even good people, even superhero’s can fall to the darkness within, what hope do any of us mere mortals have? You can change who you are, you can always let go of the pain and hate. Pain and hate are like a cancer for your soul. Vengeance is not bringing harmony to life, it brings further destruction. The real superhero in our lives is the living God. Jesus Christ preformed miracles, raising the dead, healing the blind, walking on water, saving lives. James 5:19-20 “My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” As a superhero the idea is they never stop seeing the good in people, they never give up hope on the ability to save others. If that’s the case, then much like Batman the rules apply, never kill. The faith in the goodness of man is something that as the Lord knew, in order to save us, we must first fall. When we fail we learn more from our mistakes then our successes. Psalm 94:16-17 “Who rises up for me against the wicked? Who stands up for me against evildoers? If the Lord had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.” Learn scripture and figure out how to be a side kick for Christ. A line from one of my favorite movies, “Twenty years in Gotham, how many good guys are left, how many stayed that way?” (Bruce Wayne) Isn’t that the truth though? Living through life, are we one bad day from becoming a super villain? We must learn to let go of our hate, do not give in to it, not give in to fear, doubt, or sink to the level of our enemies. Forgiveness is about regaining harmony for ourselves, it’s about allowing the King and Savior of the universe to pass righteous judgment. We must remember to live above the get even mentaility. Once we lower ourselves to that level we loose. Romans 7:19 “For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.” For every person there is both the light and dark inside them, both Justice and In-Justice. It’s for us to keep our dignity, hold our chest high, and let your cape flow in the wind. Be the sidekick for Christ, never forget the golden rule. Matthew 7:12 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” Mark 12:31 “And the second [is] like, [namely] this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” Matthew 5:38-40 “Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.” Let God be our true hero. Let the heart not be stained, let not the heart be hardened. Love long, love often, trust God, trust faith.

 

 

Who We Are?

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Who we are?

We are mothers, fathers, brothers, Sisters. We are doctors, retail, manufacturers, security professionals. We are white, Asian, African American, Hispanic. We all come from the same place, we all have a Mom and Dad. We may have fundamental differences in ideologies, but we are all residence of this place. We are all here for a short time. We are all sinners. What makes some people good and some people bad? People who claim Christ as their Lord and Savior can still do bad things. We must understand that we all fall short to the glory of God. No matter what we think, we are children of the king. Perfect in our own way. Created for a purpose. When we are burdened by life’s unfair nature where do we turn? Do we have enough self respect to know that whatever we may look like, whatever we may sound like we are perfect in Gods eyes. We are his creations. God loves us in all of our imperfections but we need to learn to embrace them. Tall or short, glasses or no, freckles or not, handicaps or not, we all all children of the King. Our souls are the most important thing about us. Stop making skin deep judgments. Look at a persons soul. Live as the person Christ would want you to. Stand up to bullies who make fun of what they don’t understand. Rise up against those who prey on the weak. Stand firm against those who would use and abuse others for their own personal gain. If you’re going to be a lion, be a lion for Jesus. We all have insecurities about ourselves. We all wish something would be different, but you are the one in a million and that’s saying something. Who you are can never be duplicated. You are a unique creation and anything that unique is special. Psalm 139:13-14 “You alone created my inner being. You knitted me together inside my mother. I will give thanks to you because I have been so amazingly and miraculously made. Your works are miraculous, and my soul is fully aware of this.” Never underestimate your importance. Isaiah 64:8 “Yet you, LORD, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” Be in tune with God and let him shape you into a warrior for Christ. Psalm 119:73-74 “You made me; you created me. Now give me the sense to follow your commands. May all who fear you find in me a cause for joy, for I have put my hope in your word.” Never loose faith in yourself. Be beautiful inside and people will see the beauty shine from within.

The truth is, this is something I struggle with every day of my life. For years I was ridiculed in school, berated for the way I looked, dressed, even sounded. For years I was tortured in school by bullies. To this day I have lost two wives to affairs. The long-term affects of this heartbreak have forced me into great struggles of self worth and my own self-esteem. As I find myself questioning myself, my own self worth, scripture is my guide and my comfort. I have my faith to guide me. I have my love for Christ, but more importantly, I have love FROM Christ that I know one day my struggle will end. Never forget how important life is, and no matter what happens you are special.

On a personal note, to a friend that offered to help spread the word about this page and showed herself to  be a beautiful lady. Thank you for the kindness!