Just some early morning thoughts from me to you…

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4: 6-7 (NLT)

Here’s a truth we realize sometime later in life—our feelings of self-worth have been, usually are, and are still today being shaped by the opinions and attitudes of others.

Some of us as children and in our younger years, have been surrounded by people who always affirmed us and our view of our own worth. But some of us weren’t as fortunate. For some of us it was it was about earning acceptance. Still others of us were abandoned—physically or emotionally—and got from all of that a negative view of our self-worth.

But all of us—no matter whether we grew up affirmed or not—somewhere along the way have been affected at some point by the thoughtless words, hurtful actions and unrealistic expectations of others. Words and actions which would color how we see ourselves, if we allowed them to, and which would plant seeds in our minds—causing us to begin to question our worth. Comments and acts by parents, teachers, coaches and others whom we respect and who hold positions of trust in our lives.

And because of those, no matter how much we believe in and have heard of God’s love for us—we struggle to believe it at times.

And that needs to change.

And it begins with believing that God has created each of us special. Special, and with unique gifts and abilities to fulfill His purposes for our lives. Sometimes we see those purposes, or we begin to see them as we grow and as they take shape, or change. Sometimes we find obstacles in our way. Sometimes we’re still getting over a poor self-image shaped by others, or sometimes we haven’t yet forgiven ourselves for some of our own mistakes of the past.

But here’s another truth—although at times we may be held back by any or all of those things—God isn’t held back. No matter our circumstances, no matter what we have been through, or what others may have said, God sees us as worthy and remarkable. And he has us in tow ready to move on with us.

So as a dear friend once told me—the best thing we can do is to get out of His way, reach out as He goes by, grab on to His “robe,” and hang on for all we are worth, as He leads us into all the fullness of the life He intended for us to live.

Regardless of how people treated you or tried to define your worth before, God sees you as worthy, and stands ready to walk with you, run with you, and lead you for the rest of your life into a brand new day.

He’ll help you to draw a line between your past and your future, and will guard you, heal you and lift you with His peace—a peace which is greater than anything that was before, or that you will face in the future.

In His Name—Scott

 

Copyright 2016. Scott L. Whitaker. All rights reserved.