I was reflecting today on what I heard at our woman's retreat this past weekend. I am the beloved of the Father, he created me and no matter what I do, he still loves me. He smiles when I am fully functioning in how he created me. Wow! That totally amazes me! I can't believe that the King of Kings and the God of the universe really feels that way about me! I think the sooner I realize that, the sooner my life will be radically changed by that revelation! Boy do I need to really know that at the core of my being. That I would live out of a place of security rather than of fear or comparison with others. That is what I was talking to the other women at my table about yesterday- I struggle with feeling less than with others who seem more "cool". I often feel left out, maybe a throw back to my teenage years when I was made fun of for my clothes or that I didn't measure up to others expectations and was often the "new kid on the block". Isn't it amazing that I stil struggle with that today, over twenty five years ago? I see the effects of that now...instead of discriminating against the poor and those that fit in, I think I discriminate against those that are too "cool" from my perception. I need to change my perceptions because those that think they are cool also need to be loved and accepted, many more so.
It's all about our perceptions. Perceptions are realities in our minds, even if they are not realities in reality- does that make sense? As long as I think it is real, it is real to me and I will live out of that reality. So, if "I call those things that are not as though they were" then my "reality" will have changed and I will live out of that.
That is what we all need...for God to invade our perceptions with the truth. That is why soaking in the truth of His word is so important. His truth IS reality and it will become more of my reality once I accept it and believe it and live it out as though it is truth, because it is!
I am reading Galatian- one of the very first things that Paul says, "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel- which is really no gospel (good news) at all. Vs 6,7. Wow! If we are following a 'different' gospel as Paul mentions, which is not of grace, it is no gospel at all. How many of us live here, sometimes without realizing or even thinking about it? We put ourselves and everyone else under the law so easily and so quickly...we are called by the grace of Christ! Grace through and through! We are not called to Christ by our performance, our looks, whether we have the right clothes, act according to cultural standards, etceterra...it is all out of the grace of Christ that brought us life. "Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ." Vs. 10. Do our churches really refect this? Do we put pressure, maybe even more so, in the church to be a certain way, look a certain a way, do cerrtain things, etcetera? Do we really love those around us, failings, weaknesses, mistakes and all. Do we really love ourselves this way? If we did I think we would lose our self-consciousness and would reach out to others without thought of how we would look, whether we should, what will they think, will they receive me, etcetera. No, we would walk out of a place of deep security and therefore a place of immense, quiet, power. Not putting anything on. Just walking out of a peace with ourselves, God, and others. Our effectiveness would exponetially increase because we know who we are and we are loved!
No comments:
Post a Comment