God has given me a big heart for people who are hurting. Specifically for people who are hurting because they've allowed someone else or something else dictate how they see themselves, how they live their lives, or how they evaluate their worth.
I often laugh at the irony in the heart He's given me because I fell under this category for just about my entire life... letting betrayal, heartbreak and abuse determine how much I was worth-- who I was. But I learned that nothing will cripple you faster than your inability to see your worth.
Your ability to love others, find joy, extend hope, and truly LIVE out your purpose..will be shut down the moment you consider yourself worthless.
It's when we know who we ARE in Christ that love will naturally flow through us like the air in our lungs. Not who we hope we are, or who we want to be, but who we ARE. Because first comes identity, and then comes action. A lot of us try and DO a lot of things to convince people of our identity-- of who we want to be perceived as.
But once we can stop our endlessly exhausting efforts of portraying a fake image to everyone around us, and embrace the image of the One we're MADE in, that is when you can LIVE.
One of our biggest mistakes as people is allowing the pain from our pasts define our present-- this will sabotage your future.
What they said, what they did, what they didn't say, what they didn't do... your shattered heart that accompanies THEIR mistakes does not also shatter your value.
One of my favorite life sayings is "feelings are not fact". Sometimes I have to hammer it into my stubborn brain all day long until my heart agrees.
In other words,
just because you feel like you're not good enough because someone betrayed you, does not mean it's true.
just because you feel like you're not beautiful because someone told you that, does not mean you're ugly.
just because you feel like you're an object, does not mean that you're not actually a treasure.
just because you feel like you're not worth fighting for, does not mean you aren't worth the best.
just because you feel like you're alone and will be forever, does not mean that you are.
just because you feel like a hopeless cause trapped in some pattern, does not mean you'll stay there forever.
You are not your mistakes and you are not your pain. You are L O V E D exactly as you--where you are-- by your Creator. Simply because He says so, and He died for you to prove it. If you still struggle to believe that, just look out your window.
Every sunset dripping with beauty like a melting box of crayons, every field covered in wildflowers in the sunshine and lightning bugs in the moonlight, every leaf in the autumn breeze, and every snowflake sparkling in the winter sky... they're all reflections of the One who created and sustains them. And WE are made in His likeness even more so. Don't let another sunrise just be a beautiful view, let it be a reminder of who you are-- eternally His and eternally loved.
When you can truly accept THAT to be your identity, you will be immovable.
Society won't change your mind... a guy, a girl, a friend, a stranger, a heart break, a feeling, a lie.... nothing will be able to shake your identity once it's set in eternity.
And once you know your identity, you'll be unstoppable in living it out. The people who constantly waiver between who they are never end up making much of an impact... because they're too busy trying to figure out who they should be, rather than confidently knowing who they already ARE-- the hand of love and hope God's made them to be for the people all around them. Embrace who He has made you to be so you can give away what He's equipped you to share. Go change the part of the world that God created YOU to do something about.
-Han
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