Today's selection is supposed to be a very real, raw letter to someone. It can be expressing love, hurt, disappointment, encouragement....and while I am all for transparency, I think this one may be a bit too personal to share on the Internet. :)
Instead, I would like to ruminate (nice word drop, eh?) on why, as Christians, we are so concerned with the acceptance of others, when we know fully well that we are loved beyond measure. I know that I can not be the only one who struggles in this area. It amazes me how quickly I can go from feeling happy and loved to feeling like I'm not wanted or liked. It's a problem. A perfect example occurred just the other day. I had different plans than I normally do and was having a great time...until I realized that the people I would normally have been with were hanging out and no one bothered to ask where I was at or why I wasn't with them. Now, logically, I can tell myself that I had checked into a restaurant at around the time we would normally be getting together and they had seen that and assumed I had other plans. Makes perfect sense. But I FELT like no one cared that I wasn't there. What's the deal?
The "deal" is that magical word "felt." God gave us our emotions and they are good and beneficial....sometimes. But they are also misleading.
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9 NIV)
AHA! There is the problem my friends. God very clearly tells us that our hearts are misleading and a mystery. We are to use WISDOM as well as emotion when interacting in this life. We need to stop being ruled by our emotions. I know, I know...easier said than done. But it is possible.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. (Philippians 4:8 NIV)
A dear friend gave me that verse the other day...as a means to fight self-doubt, insecurity, and anxiety. If we focus our thoughts the way Paul instructs us, we will begin to re-train our minds to not focus so much on the feelings that are ruling us and causing our downfalls.
It's ok to have emotions and feelings...God created us that way! We SHOULD rejoice in them...when they are done in a healthy, God honoring way. They should not rule us and make us to feel that we are less valuable and loved than we are.
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