This is a question I've been wrestling with recently, but it's been brewing since the end of August. That's when I left my job at KSPR so that I could actually see my husband and be a better wife and mom to my two step-daughters. I always told myself my job wouldn't be my identity; it would be part of who I was but not completely who I was. Well, I may not have done a very good job. For nearly six years, a big part of my identity was that I was a sports reporter then sports director. I felt like I had a purpose and I kinda knew who I was.
Now, I'm not so sure. I don't regret leaving - at all. My husband and my family will tell you I'm much, much happier since I left. Plus, we've learned to depend on God a lot more and not our paychecks or our own ability. There are definitely a ton of good things that have come, but lately I've started to feel like a stranger. I don't completely feel like I have something that's mine. Does that make me selfish? When I was working, I had my job and the material I put on tv. Then I would come home and my husband and I would talk about it. Now, I don't feel like I have anything. I do things around the house, but on a limited budget I'm limited in what I can do.
God has really been dealing with me about Proverbs 3:5-6. "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths." That basically tells me to turn all the control over to God and let him lead me. That's really hard. The natural tendency is to try and figure things out in your head, but that's disobeying what he has said. I'm trying not to sit and figure out all the things I could be doing. I'm trying to pray and let him lead me.
I know he has plans for me. "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you" (Jeremiah 1:5); and "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." The plans are clearly there and have been my whole life. I believe God has called me to big things, but now for the hard part - waiting for him to direct my path and show me what those plans are.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
Dream a Little Dream for Me
It's funny. God will lead us to do something, we do it our way and then he finds a way to kind of steer us in his direction. Just after the first of the year, I felt like God was telling me to write a blog about daily things we face and how to deal with those things according to the bible. It took me a little bit, but I finally started. I only made three posts before I felt like I ran out of things to write about. Last week I was perusing Facebook when I came across a post from a woman I respect that was a link to her blog. I read it, and it was like God had shown me that to help steer me in a different direction. I definitely encourage you to read the blog at http://www.julimize.com/ - it is wonderful. So, there will be more posts from now on about more day-to-day things I think and deal with; and I'm sure I'm not the only one going through these things.
I love to daydream; I've always had a very active imagination. Lately I've found myself dreaming about what I want to be when I grow up. I know that sounds strange for an adult to say that, but it feels like it's true. When I was 17 I decided I wanted to be a sports journalist - that's all I've ever wanted to be. After God blessed me with an amazing husband and two beautiful step-daughters my career dreams began to change. It wasn't feasible to be working until 11 o'clock at night. Psalm 37:4 says delight yourself in the Lord and he'll give you the desires of your heart. I believe this works two ways - 1)if you want something and ask for it, God will answer your prayer and 2)God puts those desires in your heart.
I believe my daydreaming is a way God can lead me. There are some dreams I now have that a few years ago I would have laughed at. I'm not sure what direction God is taking me in, but I believe at least some of those dreams are a way of leading me. Right now my biggest dream is to own my own bakery. I would love to spend my day baking breads, cookies and cakes. I'm not a pastry chef (although I would love to be able to go back to school to be one!), but maybe I'm going to be able to use my love of baking to minister to people. I don't really know, but I can't wait to find out what path God has for me.
Since leaving KSPR in August, I don't really feel like I have much of a sense of what I'm supposed to be doing with my life, but I know God has plans for me. And the best part is, I don't have to figure it out! Proverbs 3:5-6 tells me not to lean on my own understanding, but to acknowledge the Lord and he'll direct my paths. I just have to trust in him and let him lead me. And, I just get to keep on dreaming!!
I love to daydream; I've always had a very active imagination. Lately I've found myself dreaming about what I want to be when I grow up. I know that sounds strange for an adult to say that, but it feels like it's true. When I was 17 I decided I wanted to be a sports journalist - that's all I've ever wanted to be. After God blessed me with an amazing husband and two beautiful step-daughters my career dreams began to change. It wasn't feasible to be working until 11 o'clock at night. Psalm 37:4 says delight yourself in the Lord and he'll give you the desires of your heart. I believe this works two ways - 1)if you want something and ask for it, God will answer your prayer and 2)God puts those desires in your heart.
I believe my daydreaming is a way God can lead me. There are some dreams I now have that a few years ago I would have laughed at. I'm not sure what direction God is taking me in, but I believe at least some of those dreams are a way of leading me. Right now my biggest dream is to own my own bakery. I would love to spend my day baking breads, cookies and cakes. I'm not a pastry chef (although I would love to be able to go back to school to be one!), but maybe I'm going to be able to use my love of baking to minister to people. I don't really know, but I can't wait to find out what path God has for me.
Since leaving KSPR in August, I don't really feel like I have much of a sense of what I'm supposed to be doing with my life, but I know God has plans for me. And the best part is, I don't have to figure it out! Proverbs 3:5-6 tells me not to lean on my own understanding, but to acknowledge the Lord and he'll direct my paths. I just have to trust in him and let him lead me. And, I just get to keep on dreaming!!
Friday, March 25, 2011
You Don't Have to Worry About a Thing ... Seriously
We all have days where we feel like we're on an island; there are so many things that have to be done, and it feels like we're the only one who can get it done. Some times it's just little day-to-day things; other times we're faced with huge circumstances that we're not sure how to get through. I don't know about you, but these are the days I end up thinking 'I don't want to be a grown-up anymore. I want someone else to deal with this for me.' Well, the good news is, I have the ultimate helper on my side.
By looking at the Garden of Eden, we get a glimpse of what God truly had in mind when he created the world. Genesis 2 tells us that when God first made the earth springs came up from the ground and watered all the land. When God created Adam, Adam didn't have to pull weeds or water the plants. Adam was completely dependent on God to provide for him - survival wasn't dependent on the works that Adam did. It also tells us that God came down in the cool of the evening and walked and fellowshipped with Adam and Eve. So, God created man to fellowship with him, and God completely provided for him.
This is what God wants from us. He wants fellowhsip with us, and he wants us to depend on him. In Deuteronomy, God promises his people that he will never fail them or abandon them. Deuteronomy 31:6,8 says "So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you ... Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you."
This means you that we can be strong because the very God of Israel is going before you, and he's promised he will not fail you. Think about that - THE VERY GOD OF ISRAEL is going before you!! You can't lose - IF, you let him lead you and you do things his way. If you're looking for New Testament proof, John 14:16 tells us that God is going to send the Holy Spirit to comfort us and he will never leave us. God isn't going anywhere no matter how tough things get.
So, now that we understand that no matter what we're going through God is there to help us, it's important to realize that not only is he there for us, but he wants us to depend on him. Proverbs 3:5&6 says "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." We are basically commanded to not try and figure it out on our own! Because we're human, we think like a human; but God functions on a much higher level. By letting him lead our paths, we can begin to live on that higher plane like he does. In order to do that, we have to acknowledge that we need God's help and be willing to surrender to him.
I Peter 5:6&7 - "So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you." How cool is that? He wants us to give him all our cares and worries - it doesn't say just the big ones, but ALL of them!! As parents, we want to shield our kids. You don't want your five-year-old to worry about bills or making the car payment right? They should just enjoy life and let Mom and Dad deal with all that. God is the same way. He knows he can handle your problem, and he doesn't want you to sit around and worry about it. Worry is basically just fear that something isn't going to get done or isn't going to get done right, and fear is the opposite of faith. If you have faith that God can take care of it for you, you're not going to worry! The first part of this passage is also very important. It tells us to humble ourselves under the mighty power of God. You have to get to the point where you can throw yourself at God's feet, call out to him and tell him you know you can't handle this on your own. If you humble yourself by admitting that, the Word promises that at the right time God will lift you up. So, you humble yourself and turn the situation over to God, and when his timing is right, he'll lift you up. It may not be when you think it should happen, but God is faithful and will lift you up.
So, you've fallen at God's feet and turned over your problems - big and small - to him. The devil is going to try to get you to pick those worries back up. Circumstances will come and it may appear that things are getting worse instead of better. This time is very important - you can't waiver. Philippians 4:6&7 says "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." Whenever that worry comes, all you have to do is just step back and thank God for everything he has done. That praise can help build your faith and bring peace. The more you build up that peace, it guards your heart against the worry.
Another verse to keep in mind - 2 Corinthians 2:14a "Now thanks be unto God who always causeth us to triumph in Christ ..." Did you get that? God ALWAYS causes us to triumph in Christ!! If you do things his way and stay in Christ, you can't lose!!!!! That is worth jumping up and down about - YOU CAN'T LOSE!!!
This is all really hard to do, and I've really been working on getting better. Our natural reaction is to sit down and logically try to figure out how to fix the situation, but our first reaction should be to hit our knees and give the situation to God. He's God - trust me, he can handle it. And he wants to! He wants us to lean on him - not on ourselves.
By looking at the Garden of Eden, we get a glimpse of what God truly had in mind when he created the world. Genesis 2 tells us that when God first made the earth springs came up from the ground and watered all the land. When God created Adam, Adam didn't have to pull weeds or water the plants. Adam was completely dependent on God to provide for him - survival wasn't dependent on the works that Adam did. It also tells us that God came down in the cool of the evening and walked and fellowshipped with Adam and Eve. So, God created man to fellowship with him, and God completely provided for him.
This is what God wants from us. He wants fellowhsip with us, and he wants us to depend on him. In Deuteronomy, God promises his people that he will never fail them or abandon them. Deuteronomy 31:6,8 says "So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you ... Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you."
This means you that we can be strong because the very God of Israel is going before you, and he's promised he will not fail you. Think about that - THE VERY GOD OF ISRAEL is going before you!! You can't lose - IF, you let him lead you and you do things his way. If you're looking for New Testament proof, John 14:16 tells us that God is going to send the Holy Spirit to comfort us and he will never leave us. God isn't going anywhere no matter how tough things get.
So, now that we understand that no matter what we're going through God is there to help us, it's important to realize that not only is he there for us, but he wants us to depend on him. Proverbs 3:5&6 says "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." We are basically commanded to not try and figure it out on our own! Because we're human, we think like a human; but God functions on a much higher level. By letting him lead our paths, we can begin to live on that higher plane like he does. In order to do that, we have to acknowledge that we need God's help and be willing to surrender to him.
I Peter 5:6&7 - "So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you." How cool is that? He wants us to give him all our cares and worries - it doesn't say just the big ones, but ALL of them!! As parents, we want to shield our kids. You don't want your five-year-old to worry about bills or making the car payment right? They should just enjoy life and let Mom and Dad deal with all that. God is the same way. He knows he can handle your problem, and he doesn't want you to sit around and worry about it. Worry is basically just fear that something isn't going to get done or isn't going to get done right, and fear is the opposite of faith. If you have faith that God can take care of it for you, you're not going to worry! The first part of this passage is also very important. It tells us to humble ourselves under the mighty power of God. You have to get to the point where you can throw yourself at God's feet, call out to him and tell him you know you can't handle this on your own. If you humble yourself by admitting that, the Word promises that at the right time God will lift you up. So, you humble yourself and turn the situation over to God, and when his timing is right, he'll lift you up. It may not be when you think it should happen, but God is faithful and will lift you up.
So, you've fallen at God's feet and turned over your problems - big and small - to him. The devil is going to try to get you to pick those worries back up. Circumstances will come and it may appear that things are getting worse instead of better. This time is very important - you can't waiver. Philippians 4:6&7 says "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." Whenever that worry comes, all you have to do is just step back and thank God for everything he has done. That praise can help build your faith and bring peace. The more you build up that peace, it guards your heart against the worry.
Another verse to keep in mind - 2 Corinthians 2:14a "Now thanks be unto God who always causeth us to triumph in Christ ..." Did you get that? God ALWAYS causes us to triumph in Christ!! If you do things his way and stay in Christ, you can't lose!!!!! That is worth jumping up and down about - YOU CAN'T LOSE!!!
This is all really hard to do, and I've really been working on getting better. Our natural reaction is to sit down and logically try to figure out how to fix the situation, but our first reaction should be to hit our knees and give the situation to God. He's God - trust me, he can handle it. And he wants to! He wants us to lean on him - not on ourselves.
Friday, February 4, 2011
True Beauty Really Does Come From the Inside
Body image - YIKES!!
This is a topic I deal with everyday. I have good days where I can look in the mirror and tell myself I'm strong, that curves are sexy and my husband thinks I'm beautiful; but there are probably more days where I stand in front of the mirror critiquing every inch of my body and telling myself what's wrong with it. There are a lot of ways to look at this topic, so this may be kind of a long post, but I know I'm not the only person who deals with this.
First, of course, we go to the word. The bible talks about what's important - and it's not how my jeans fit or how I look in a bathing suit. And the good news is if we can get a grasp of what the bible places as a high priority, it definitely takes some of the heat off!! In I Timothy 2 it says we shouldn't be worried about adorning ourselves with gold or expensive clothes, but that we should make ourselves attractive by the good things we do (I Timothy 2:9, 10). This same sentiment is echoed in I Peter 3:3 & 4, which says, "Don't be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from how the holy women of old made themselves beautiful. They trusted God and accepted the authority of their husbands." Now, don't get me wrong, I enjoy getting all dressed up and I hate leaving the house without makeup; and I honestly don't believe these verses are telling us all to wear potato sacks and no makeup. I think this speaks to the spirit with which you do things. I believe it's saying you shouldn't base your entire self-worth and who you are on how beautiful you are, how fancy your clothes are or how skinny you may be.
Believe me, I know this is a dicey subject. I know some people read the bible and believe women shouldn't wear jewelry or makeup or anything; and if that is how you believe, I totally respect that. But I do believe it's possible to follow that and still not be "beautiful" by bible standards; you can dress however you want, but if you don't work on who you are on the inside, I believe you're missing the point. Proverbs chapter 31 talks about traits a good woman and wife should possess, and in verse 30 it says "charm is deceptive and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised." We all know as you get older, your body changes. It's just part of it, but this is saying that the beauty that comes from fearing the Lord and living the way the bible tells us to does not fade.
I believe it's important to remember that who you are on the inside is way more important than how you look on the outside. I'm constanly unhappy with my lower body. Like a lot of women, I think my butt is too big and my thighs are thick. My husband loves my lower body and constantly tells me I have the sexiest legs ever. More than once I've told him he's crazy and that if I could lose some of the fat from my butt and legs they'd be better, but more than once he's told me even if I lost some of that fat, I still wouldn't be happy. And deep down I know he's right. Because no matter what I lose, without the right attitude, I'm always going to want to lose more.
Let me say, I'm not advocating not working out and saying that it doesn't matter what you look like. I believe you should work out and eat right and take care of the body God gave you. I Corinthians 6:19 tells us our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and that our body doesn't even belong to us - it belongs to God! I try to be dedicated (and lately have done pretty good) to working out about five days a week, but I can't let that become my life and my entire motivation can't be to lose weight. It goes back to the same thing as the makeup and clothes, it can't become your entire identity. If you base your entire identity on how much weight you can lift or how your body looks, you'll never be truly happy. There's always going to be someone stronger, someone skinnier, etc.; and believe me that's hard for me to say. I'm an extremely competitive person and I hate the thought that there is someone better than me.
There is no "perfect" body shape or size. God created each of us just the way we are, and we know God doesn't make mistakes. I hope this post has helped. There are days that we all get down on ourselves and think if we could just lose that last 10 pounds or look like that model in a magazine, we'd be happy; but the truth is, we wouldn't be. It sounds corny, but we do have to learn to love ourselves and reorganize our priorities. Instead of being so worried about fat rolls and the number on the scale, we need to be making sure we are spending time reading the word and living the type of life God has laid out in the bible. By doing that, fearing the Lord and honoring him in all we do, then we will find true happiness. Go ahead and set the goal to lose 10 pounds or to run a 5K, but just remember to do it with the right attitude. The old saying is true "It's what's inside that counts." How beautiful are your insides? I know mine could use some work - like squats, lunges and pullups for my spirit!!
I hope you always remember God made you a wonderful creature and loves you more than you will ever be able to comprehend. I Timothy 4:4 says everything God created is good. God made you fabulous!!
This is a topic I deal with everyday. I have good days where I can look in the mirror and tell myself I'm strong, that curves are sexy and my husband thinks I'm beautiful; but there are probably more days where I stand in front of the mirror critiquing every inch of my body and telling myself what's wrong with it. There are a lot of ways to look at this topic, so this may be kind of a long post, but I know I'm not the only person who deals with this.
First, of course, we go to the word. The bible talks about what's important - and it's not how my jeans fit or how I look in a bathing suit. And the good news is if we can get a grasp of what the bible places as a high priority, it definitely takes some of the heat off!! In I Timothy 2 it says we shouldn't be worried about adorning ourselves with gold or expensive clothes, but that we should make ourselves attractive by the good things we do (I Timothy 2:9, 10). This same sentiment is echoed in I Peter 3:3 & 4, which says, "Don't be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from how the holy women of old made themselves beautiful. They trusted God and accepted the authority of their husbands." Now, don't get me wrong, I enjoy getting all dressed up and I hate leaving the house without makeup; and I honestly don't believe these verses are telling us all to wear potato sacks and no makeup. I think this speaks to the spirit with which you do things. I believe it's saying you shouldn't base your entire self-worth and who you are on how beautiful you are, how fancy your clothes are or how skinny you may be.
Believe me, I know this is a dicey subject. I know some people read the bible and believe women shouldn't wear jewelry or makeup or anything; and if that is how you believe, I totally respect that. But I do believe it's possible to follow that and still not be "beautiful" by bible standards; you can dress however you want, but if you don't work on who you are on the inside, I believe you're missing the point. Proverbs chapter 31 talks about traits a good woman and wife should possess, and in verse 30 it says "charm is deceptive and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised." We all know as you get older, your body changes. It's just part of it, but this is saying that the beauty that comes from fearing the Lord and living the way the bible tells us to does not fade.
I believe it's important to remember that who you are on the inside is way more important than how you look on the outside. I'm constanly unhappy with my lower body. Like a lot of women, I think my butt is too big and my thighs are thick. My husband loves my lower body and constantly tells me I have the sexiest legs ever. More than once I've told him he's crazy and that if I could lose some of the fat from my butt and legs they'd be better, but more than once he's told me even if I lost some of that fat, I still wouldn't be happy. And deep down I know he's right. Because no matter what I lose, without the right attitude, I'm always going to want to lose more.
Let me say, I'm not advocating not working out and saying that it doesn't matter what you look like. I believe you should work out and eat right and take care of the body God gave you. I Corinthians 6:19 tells us our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and that our body doesn't even belong to us - it belongs to God! I try to be dedicated (and lately have done pretty good) to working out about five days a week, but I can't let that become my life and my entire motivation can't be to lose weight. It goes back to the same thing as the makeup and clothes, it can't become your entire identity. If you base your entire identity on how much weight you can lift or how your body looks, you'll never be truly happy. There's always going to be someone stronger, someone skinnier, etc.; and believe me that's hard for me to say. I'm an extremely competitive person and I hate the thought that there is someone better than me.
There is no "perfect" body shape or size. God created each of us just the way we are, and we know God doesn't make mistakes. I hope this post has helped. There are days that we all get down on ourselves and think if we could just lose that last 10 pounds or look like that model in a magazine, we'd be happy; but the truth is, we wouldn't be. It sounds corny, but we do have to learn to love ourselves and reorganize our priorities. Instead of being so worried about fat rolls and the number on the scale, we need to be making sure we are spending time reading the word and living the type of life God has laid out in the bible. By doing that, fearing the Lord and honoring him in all we do, then we will find true happiness. Go ahead and set the goal to lose 10 pounds or to run a 5K, but just remember to do it with the right attitude. The old saying is true "It's what's inside that counts." How beautiful are your insides? I know mine could use some work - like squats, lunges and pullups for my spirit!!
I hope you always remember God made you a wonderful creature and loves you more than you will ever be able to comprehend. I Timothy 4:4 says everything God created is good. God made you fabulous!!
Friday, January 28, 2011
Wonderfully Complex ... And Just Right
Everyday we all deal with feelings of inadequacy. Something makes us feel less valuable or like a total failure, but we weren't created that way. When those feelings do come, here are some thoughts to fight back with. You were created wonderfully complex, in the image of God and he doesn't make mistakes!!
In Psalm 139:13-16*, David thanks God for making him wonderfully complex. He talks about how God knit him together and saw him before he was born. Now, I've never knit anything in my life and wouldn't know how to start, but I've seen others do it, and it's a slow process. You knit, on top of knitting, on top of knitting, until you have a beautiful creation. God didn't just throw you together. He took the time to meticulously build you and make you exactly the way he wanted you to be. In the 16th verse, it says "every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed." God made you like you are because he knew what was going to happen down the road. You were made just like you are so you would be equipped for the things God has called you to do. You weren't an accident; God had a plan for your life before you were born.
This idea is also illustrated in Jeremiah 1:5. God tells Jeremiah that he knew him before he was formed in his mother's womb. Before he was born, God set Jeremiah apart and appointed him as a prophet. Now, while we're not all appointed to be prophets, God has a plan for each and every one of us. We're set apart! I don't know about you, but when I get like a new pair of shoes or something, I don't want it just thrown in with everything else. They're valuable to me and I want them to stay pretty, so I keep them set apart in their box or something. And to God, we're much more valuable than a new pair of shoes!!
Next we head to Genesis 1, back to the beginning. In verse 27, it says God created human beings in his image. We're made in God's image!! My first nephew was born back in November. After he was born everyone started debating whether he looked like his mom or his dad. I thought he looked a little like my brother, but her family disagreed. What if I had agreed that he looked like his mom and then said "but he's kinda funny looking." In a way, am I saying my sister-in-law is funny looking? That's what happens when we put ourselves down; essentially, we're putting God down. Is God good-for-nothing? NO! Is God a total failure? NO! And you're made in his image, so neither are you.
There are days when I feel really bad about myself and look at myself in the mirror and wonder why am I like this? I may not know the reason, but God does. He didn't get done with me and think,"Oops, she's not exactly right, but good enough." No, he looked at me and said I was very good. It says so in Genesis 1:31 - "Then God looked over all he had made, and saw that it was very good!" In Malachi 3 we learn that God does not change; Hebrews 13:8 says Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever, so if what he created in the beginning was very good and he does not change, then what he creates now is very good!! That means you're very good!!
And add to it the fact that God is perfect and does not make mistakes. We see this is Deuteronomy 32:4 and Matthew 5:48; God is perfect, which means he didn't mess up when he made you. He designed you just like you are with a wonderful purpose in mind.
This is my first blog, so it may be a little rough, but I hope it helps you at some point when you're feeling a tad down. God loves you so much, and made you wonderfully complex!! I'm using this blog also as little bit of help to myself. I'm working on becoming more comfortable in my own skin and not putting myself down. I'm ready to own the fact that I'm Wonderfully Complex!! That's exactly how God made me.
*All verses are out of the New Living Translation bible.
In Psalm 139:13-16*, David thanks God for making him wonderfully complex. He talks about how God knit him together and saw him before he was born. Now, I've never knit anything in my life and wouldn't know how to start, but I've seen others do it, and it's a slow process. You knit, on top of knitting, on top of knitting, until you have a beautiful creation. God didn't just throw you together. He took the time to meticulously build you and make you exactly the way he wanted you to be. In the 16th verse, it says "every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed." God made you like you are because he knew what was going to happen down the road. You were made just like you are so you would be equipped for the things God has called you to do. You weren't an accident; God had a plan for your life before you were born.
This idea is also illustrated in Jeremiah 1:5. God tells Jeremiah that he knew him before he was formed in his mother's womb. Before he was born, God set Jeremiah apart and appointed him as a prophet. Now, while we're not all appointed to be prophets, God has a plan for each and every one of us. We're set apart! I don't know about you, but when I get like a new pair of shoes or something, I don't want it just thrown in with everything else. They're valuable to me and I want them to stay pretty, so I keep them set apart in their box or something. And to God, we're much more valuable than a new pair of shoes!!
Next we head to Genesis 1, back to the beginning. In verse 27, it says God created human beings in his image. We're made in God's image!! My first nephew was born back in November. After he was born everyone started debating whether he looked like his mom or his dad. I thought he looked a little like my brother, but her family disagreed. What if I had agreed that he looked like his mom and then said "but he's kinda funny looking." In a way, am I saying my sister-in-law is funny looking? That's what happens when we put ourselves down; essentially, we're putting God down. Is God good-for-nothing? NO! Is God a total failure? NO! And you're made in his image, so neither are you.
There are days when I feel really bad about myself and look at myself in the mirror and wonder why am I like this? I may not know the reason, but God does. He didn't get done with me and think,"Oops, she's not exactly right, but good enough." No, he looked at me and said I was very good. It says so in Genesis 1:31 - "Then God looked over all he had made, and saw that it was very good!" In Malachi 3 we learn that God does not change; Hebrews 13:8 says Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever, so if what he created in the beginning was very good and he does not change, then what he creates now is very good!! That means you're very good!!
And add to it the fact that God is perfect and does not make mistakes. We see this is Deuteronomy 32:4 and Matthew 5:48; God is perfect, which means he didn't mess up when he made you. He designed you just like you are with a wonderful purpose in mind.
This is my first blog, so it may be a little rough, but I hope it helps you at some point when you're feeling a tad down. God loves you so much, and made you wonderfully complex!! I'm using this blog also as little bit of help to myself. I'm working on becoming more comfortable in my own skin and not putting myself down. I'm ready to own the fact that I'm Wonderfully Complex!! That's exactly how God made me.
*All verses are out of the New Living Translation bible.
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