shadow

Loved

Take Time to Remember: “You are deeply loved.”

Posted on: by: Comments: Leave a comment

I co-parent teenagers. The daily dilemmas, disputes and doldrums can leave any parent feeling pretty defeated by day’s end. If I don’t carve out time to remember who He is and who I am in the midst of my week, the frequent storms will wear me down.

Together, let’s take time this week to recount a few basic yet extraordinary truths to help us stay emotionally and spiritually afloat as we cling to Him in the midst of the mundane and marvelous tasks of the day before us.

 

“You are deeply loved.”

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

Zephaniah 3:17

You_are_His_belovedI love my kids and know they love me in return. But, teenagers don’t always share their love out loud. Gone are the days when “mommy’s home” are words gleefully sung as I walk in the door. Rarely do I receive homemade cards with adorable drawings and sweet sentiments all over them. And, bed times. Well, I can’t remember if my teenagers ever begged me to stay in their room to tell me one more time that they love me to the moon and back.

I do appreciate how my teenagers can beautifully express themselves with great affection or gratitude at just the right time. But, I know that their increased freedom and focus on other things can make the frequency and intensity of their loving gestures appropriately decrease over time. While this is completely normal, sometimes a mom sure can miss being loved on by little kids. Before you know it, you can easily find yourself wallowing in the memories of yesteryear and truly wondering if anyone loves you.

For this reason, it is so important for us to take time to immerse ourselves in God’s love by reading passages that remind us of His affection toward us. While it may sound silly and even indulgent, we can only love because He first loved us (I Jn. 4:19). We must take time to experience His quieting love. He loves you more than any person on earth. He actually calls you His beloved. This word means dearly loved, adored, cherished, favorite, darling, and treasured. Nothing on earth compares to being called beloved by the Creator of the universe, the one that knows every single thing about you. We can do nothing to earn or deserve this designation. Christ did it all. And, since He is God’s Beloved, when we were placed in Christ, we became His beloved as well.

Despite the whisperings of the enemy or the doubts and dread that arise on difficult days with our families, remember today that you are deeply loved by the God who created you. Though he may be quiet in His love, His affection for His beloved far surpasses the distance to the moon and back.

Tuesday: “God is enough.”

Jackie

My Identity: What does God say about me?: Known

Posted on: by: Comments: Leave a comment

In 2 Corinthians 5:17 the Bible reads that we are “new creations” if we are followers of Christ. Have you ever wondered about the way God feels about you? We can be very hard on ourselves at times. We often struggle with our identity. This week, we’ll turn to God’s Word to find out how He views us and how we can find our identity in Him.

 

Known

“You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.”

Psalm 139:3-5, NIV

3_Known_WEDNESDAYDo you desire to be truly known? Timothy Keller, the author of The Meaning of Marriage, wrote, “To be known and not loved is our greatest fear.” We want to be known, but we fear the rejection that we believe may come with the exposure of being known.

Many of us work hard to project the version of ourselves that we want others to see. We want people around us to think we have it all together. It’s difficult to admit our struggles, even to those who know us best.

So it’s a relief to understand that God knows everything about us, even the darkest parts of our hearts, and He still loves and accepts us. We are known completely and loved unconditionally.

We don’t have to hide from God or fear condemnation. Romans 8:1 reads, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Throughout Scripture, we come to know a man named Jesus who encountered sinners with love and acceptance. He demonstrated compassion, not condemnation.

We can be very hard on ourselves. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking negative thoughts and constantly berating ourselves. This habit can even be the result of prior verbal abuse from someone close to you. Let’s work on stopping the condemning self-talk and learning to be gentle with ourselves. If God knows us fully and still considers us precious and worthy of love, we can give ourselves a break.

If you struggle with being kind to yourself, use this prayer in Psalm 139:

Search me, God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 139:23-24, NIV

Today, remember that you are fully known and completely loved. When we rest in that knowledge, our identity as a child of God becomes clear.

Seeking Him,

Allison