No matter how you feel or what has happened in your life............never forget your life holds value and you are amazing!
Even if everything has gone wrong and you feel you have nothing.........I always revert to the quote "You are valuable because you exist not because of what you do or what you have done, simply because you are." This is so true, we are all valuable because we are, because we are unique and because you are just you! If we put our value in our jobs, professions, looks etc, what happens in life if one day we lose these things? How will we see our value?
I believe low self esteem and self loathing are the biggest killers of our perceived value. We often feel less valued because of our inner voice telling us we are useless, that no-one cares or that we are worthless. It's been proven that if we repeat saying something over and over again, we begin to believe it. Therefore if we keep reaffirming our negative thoughts, our situation will only go down into a negative spiral rather than an upward positive one. For every negative thought about yourself, it may help to combat it with one that is positive too. This makes me turn to another quote,
"The most important battles of life are the ones you fight in the silent
chambers of your soul", so true, sometimes we have a mental battle that we need to win.
The subject of life's value reminds me of the film 'This Wonderful Life'. The main character in the story realises that if he would have never been born then he wouldn't have been able to bless the people he had met in his life....even though he didn't believe it at the time, his life held terrific value!
My Christian belief helps me grasp that even when we are down to nothing, we are still loved by God. It doesn't matter how low we go or how awful we think we are. When the storms come and the rain is constantly falling.......keep holding onto hope. I honestly believe that God can turn our storms into a message; a message to one day help others who may be going through the same hardships.
From the tiniest baby to the oldest person around, every life holds much value. Keep going and never give up, fight for the positive over your life and gain renewed strength.
Lv Caroline x
Bible references:
Luke 12 6-9 “What’s
the price of two or three sparrows? Some loose change, right? But
God never overlooks a single one. And he pays even greater attention to
you, down to the last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head! You’re worth more than a
million sparrows.
Isaiah 40 30-31 -
Even young people become worn out and get tired. Even the best of
them trip and fall. But those who trust
in the Lord will receive new strength.
They will fly as high as eagles. They will run and not get tired. They
will walk and not grow weak.
I've heard this statement said many many times, that 'faith in God is only for weak people needing a crutch to rely on'. God is just a weak option for those not wanting to face the reality of life and death.
Yes, just looking on the surface, it could easily be seen that way. However, I would say Christianity is certainly closer to the opposite of this statement, because when we start looking at living out faith, in reality it requires 'a somewhat strong person' to commit to change. Christian actually means 'Christ like', so no pressure there then when it comes to living out faith ha ha.
When we start looking at the things God cares about and the nature of God himself, we suddenly realise our lives have much to do with our heart, which ultimately will effect how we will live out our lives. It takes a strong person to stand firm in committing to changing those things within us that need attention. In fact, I actually believe some things in our nature are impossible to change without God's help.
Whether a person of faith or not, you would all agree that it takes a strong person to forgive, it takes an extra strong person to forgive those who have hurt us - especially our enemies, it takes a strong person to love across class, race & religion, it takes a strong person to hope when there is none, it takes a strong person to persevere through hardships, it takes a strong person to stay humble when successes come and strength of character when temptations arise. All of these heart issues, including many others, are spoken about by God and about the best way to deal with them in everyday life - challenging, yes it is! Many people run from faith, because they are scared of what they will find out about themselves.
Living a life of faith is certainly not the easy road, because God talks a lot about changing our selfishness. Therefore I cannot agree with the statement 'faith is just a crutch' for those too weak. Faith actually can help your character (the inside of you) to become stronger. I know the statement often refers to the idea of the promise of heaven and yes, this is the belief of a Christian, but in no way is it the whole picture of the Christian life.
Be encouraged to continue and persevere in your Christan faith, to live out the great life God wants you to have. God's ideas on life are the best.....because he knows exactly what we need to be contented and ultimately happy.
Lv Caroline x
Bible Verses:
Matt 7 13-14 Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide
and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who
enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
2 Cor 12-9 God says, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in
weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my
weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
There are all different sorts of people in society, the educated, the wealthy, the poor, the uneducated, the trendy, the old fashioned, the quirky, the standard, the quiet and the loud. Whoever you are, we have come into contact with many different people of all walks of life and class.
However, it's human nature to want to stick with those people of similar thinking, class and background to ourselves, that is where we are all more comfortable and where we fit. I heard of a lady who has recently written a book on the comings and goings of the children's playground and how the mums waiting for their kids in the playground, tend to befriend other mums who are of similar class & background as them. It's basic psychology of human behaviour to draw towards those people we are comfortable with.
However, from a Christian aspect the bible tells us to embrace ALL people whether, poor, wealthy, uneducated, quirky etc. It's a challenge because it smashes away any preconceptions we may have about people we meet.
From a Christian stand point, God actually views everyone the same across their class, background or culture, no one is more or less. That's because God looks at people's hearts and that is what makes every human the same across any background. When we die, our class or background isn't going to matter but it will be our heart that God will see.
I remember Rachel Issitt, a friend of mine, speaking in church about 'building bridges in our relationships'. It's so true, everyone is welcome in God's house and our arms should reach out to ALL people. During Jesus' time on earth he made it very clear to us that regardless of who people were by race, culture or class, he included them in his love.
It's very easy to make judgements, but may be it's time to put new glasses on and view certain people how God sees them. For instance, we can make judgements about people's behaviour patterns or addictions but often it's because they are hurting in some way! God wants to help us build bridges of friendship to all people of every class and background anywhere and everywhere!
Lv Caroline x
