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Faith, God’s Love, Write 31 Days Challenge 2019

Day 6 in God’s Love – Processing God’s Love So Far

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The last 5 days have been a little intense in what I have written. I’m covering a topic which is much needed, but has left me feeling drained a little, which is why I am a day behind as well. So, I’m processing God’s love so far in what I have learnt.

The enemy loves to attack when you are making progress in something you are doing for God – remember that when you feel under fire!

The enemy loves to attack when you are making progress in something you are doing for God – remember that when you feel under fire! Share on X

I felt led to do something a little different today. I have written a poem which sums up some of what I have written over the last couple of days. It’s a result of what’s going around in my head.

I would love to know what you think or if this resonates with you.

And Yet, You Still Love Me

It doesn’t matter how broken I feel

Or that I am shattered beyond repair.

The scars that are hidden deep inside

Will always remain a pain to bear.

And yet, you still love me.

It doesn’t matter how dirty I feel,

Or the fact my past is marred and unclean.

The stain that has remained deep inside

Will always remain a mark unseen.

And yet, you love me still. 

It doesn’t matter how worthless I feel,

Or how much people reject what they hear.

The shame that lingers over my head,

Will always remain a scar to fear.

And yet, me you still love.

It doesn’t matter if I was abused,

Or at times I’m impossible to love.

The guilt that haunts the rest of my life,

Will always remain a wound to speak of. 

And Yet, You Still Love Me

Faith, God’s Love, Write 31 Days Challenge 2019

Day 5 in God’s Love – I Am Worthy

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Yesterday I wrote about needing to overcome the obstacles that are hindering us from accepting God’s unconditional love. God does love us and nothing in this world will ever come between the love He has for us. 

What stops me?

One of the main obstacles which stops me from accepting God’s love is feeling unworthy. I hate what I have been through. It was degrading and vile.

Coupled with the experiences I received throughout school, I believed what people were feeding me. I was not worthy, not good enough, out of place and undesirable. 

When something is instilled into you for so long, you believe it. Because nothing else is said to the contrary. I hated myself so much I felt I deserved every bad experience I endured. Believing God loves me, let alone accepting God’s love, was just beyond my reach. 

Believing God loves me, let alone accepting God’s love, was just beyond my reach.  Share on X

Healing is a lifelong journey

Over the past 15 years I have managed to work through deep layers of hurt. I still have a way to go, but I thank God I’m no longer where I use to be. I can’t say I love myself, but I can say I no longer hate myself. 

Jesus wants me to believe I am worthy and loved beyond measure. I know that. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. God knows every little detail about us, right down to something insignificant as the hairs on our head.

God knows every little detail about us, right down to something insignificant as the hairs on our head. Share on X

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Matthew 10:29-31

Who would bother to take the time to know something like this if they didn’t love us? We are loved beyond measure!

Something to think about…

My children often come to me and tell me tales from school. They often tell me about a falling out they have had with one of their friends and the words they have exchanged between them. My response to them is always one that encourages. I tell our children “you are worthy. No matter what anyone else says to you, you are worth more”.

Why then do we not accept this for ourselves? If we saw a picture of ourselves as a child now we would say to that child “you are worthy”. That child is still the same person now but older. That child does not have any less worth just because a few years have been added on to their life.

I am worthy

Look at yourself in the mirror and see yourself as that child. Say to yourself, “I am worthy!” I know you won’t believe it straight away. I wouldn’t! That’s why you need to repeat it over and over again to let it sink in. So, every time you visit the bathroom, repeat to yourself “I am worthy”.

Prayer

Lord, you believe that we are so worthy. So much that you laid your life down for us. We need to let this truth sink deep into our hearts. Please send your spirit to minister to us when we feel worthless. Amen

Faith, God’s Love, Write 31 Days Challenge 2019

Day 4 in God’s Love – Overcoming Obstacles

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Yesterday I wrote about God’s love being unconditional. Whatever we have done or been through, He loves us no matter what. Realising this truth is the first step. Accepting unconditional love, however, takes it to a whole new level.

I’m going to be honest now (when am I not!) This is the bit I really struggle with. I know God loves me unconditionally, but believing it for myself is really hard to accept.

Through experiences in my life I have come to believe I am not worthy of receiving such love. Why would someone love another person when they are “damaged goods”? That’s the way the world sees it, right? If something is second hand, damaged or used, then the value of its worth is questioned.

Overcoming our obstacles

This is what I believe God thinks about me. Why would God love someone who has been used? Would God really love someone who has had something so shameful done to them? After all, if the world sees something marred and rejects it then surely God does too.

Or does He?

This is what the enemy wants me to think. I know in my mind this isn’t true. But when years of hurt overpower what is really true, it seems more believable. Somehow, I need to overcome this obstacle. God does love me. Nothing in this world will ever come between the Love He has for me.

Accepting unconditional love

I love this translation from the New Living Translation. “Not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.” What I endured when I was younger was the powers of hell and when I read this line it choked me. It’s there in black and white. My past will not come between me and the love of my God.

“Not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.” My past will not come between me and the love of my God. Share on X

Something to think about…

Is there something in your life which is holding you back from knowing the truth? Name it and believe that it is from the powers of hell. Now read over the Bible verse and say it out aloud. Especially the verse “Not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.” let this sink into your heart. I know that is what I am going to try and do.

Prayer

Lord, we all have something in our life holding us back from believing the truth that you love us. Help us to overcome these obstacles and move forwards. Help us to sink into the knowledge that you truly love us. There is nothing that will ever separate us from that. Amen.

Faith, God’s Love, Write 31 Days Challenge 2019

Day 3 in God’s Love – Unconditionally Loved

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Probably one of the most popular ways to describe God’s love is unconditional. Although we may know God’s love is unconditional, do we really believe it? Deep down in our hearts?

When I think of the wrong things I have done, why would God still love me? When I think of what I have been through in life, why would God still bother? If I think of all the times I have rejected Him, why did He not do the same?

Paul is a great example of God showing His unconditional love to someone. When Paul was known as Saul, he sought out God’s followers. He hunted and persecuted Christians like a predator searching for its prey.

Yet God still loved him.

I’ve not done anything like what Paul has done. I’ve not got anyone killed. (Although, I may have thought about doing it!) God still accepted Paul though despite what he has done and what he has been through.

So what does this unconditional love feel like?

The moment I held each of my babies in my arms, I knew then my love for them was unmeasurable. It didn’t stop either as they have grown up. Through all their sleepless nights, tantrums, back-chatting, never ending time-outs, hurts and constant bickering between each other, I have loved them.

I still love them. Unconditionally.

Why?

Because they are my children. They need my unconditional love. They don’t need to do anything in return. I don’t expect them to. I just love them anyway!

That’s how God loves us. Because we are His children. I need unconditional love. Oh, how I need His unconditional love. God doesn’t expect me to act in a certain way to receive His love. He just loves me anyway.

God doesn’t expect me to act in a certain way to receive His love. He just loves me anyway. Share on X

Something to think about…

Write down on a piece of paper all the ways why you think God wouldn’t love you. When finished, take hold of the paper and scrunch it up or rip it into shreds. Throw the paper into the waste basket. (The best action is to burn it, but only if it is safe to do so and it is at your risk).

As you dispose of the paper, remember God still loves you no matter what! He doesn’t hold anything against you. That is why we dispose of the paper. It is no longer needed.

Prayer

Lord, thank you for showing me how much you love me. Thank you for always being there, no matter what. Thank you for never turning away, even when I may have turned away from you. I need your unconditional love. Please find ways to show how much you love me when I need to see it most. Keep reminding me of your love. Amen

Faith, God’s Love, Write 31 Days Challenge 2019

Day 2 in God’s love – Feeling Secure

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Accepting love from someone can be difficult at times. One of the reasons we may not accept love is because we are insecure. We are not happy with who we are in ourselves. 

It can be hard admitting we feel insecure because we don’t want to feel weak to anyone else. You are not alone though if you feel like this. The feeling of insecurity is a bigger issue than we really know. 

In 2015, it was revealed in a YouGov survey that over a third of people in the UK are unhappy with their own weight and body image.

Does this surprise you? To be honest, it didn’t surprise me. Why? Because I am part of that statistic. 

There are many reasons as to why we suffer from insecurity. One of the main reasons could be due to experiences we have received in our childhood. To name a few:

  • Bullying
  • Not receiving encouragement from our parents
  • Failing in exams
  • Being rejected
  • Childhood trauma
  • Losing a loved one
  • Not receiving love from a parent

If we want to enjoy the love that God wants to give to us then we need to come to terms with our insecurity. Easier said than done, right? It means that we need to admit we are insecure and try to pinpoint where it stems from. 

If we want to enjoy the love that God wants to give to us then we need to come to terms with our insecurity. Share on X

This is half the battle. 

For me personally, I experienced years of childhood trauma. This was then followed by bullying throughout my education, up until I left college at 18. I felt rejected. Exams didn’t go well either and I always felt like I had fallen short. I couldn’t live up to expectations from people around me. 

Insecurity has been around in this world since Adam and Eve, believe it or not. They didn’t want to face God because of the insecurity they felt when the realised they were naked. It didn’t stop with them either. 

Even the great leaders in the Bible felt insecure. Moses is a great example. He ran away to the desert when he felt insecure where he lived. When God called him from the burning bush, Moses replied:

“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:7-11)

How do we overcome these insecurities? 

It’s not easy and it will be a long journey of retraining the mind to what is true. We have a Great Resource to which we can turn to gain confidence. God’s love. By realising how much God loves us, in time we will be able to overcome our insecurity and accept it.

We have a Great Resource to which we can turn to gain confidence. God’s love. Share on X

One of my favourite Bible readings to demonstrate this is from Zephaniah. 

A friend sent me this verse when I needed to hear it most a few years ago. She suggested I should substitute the word you with my own name to make it more personal. So I did. It made such a difference with how I accepted these words for myself. 

Something to think about…

Why don’t you make the verse your own? Write the verse out on a piece of paper and stick it somewhere prominent, like on the mirror – somewhere you will see it every day. Use the below example and change the underlined name for your own. See what a difference it makes in how it makes you feel more secure. I would love to know if it does. 

“The Lord my God is with Lynne, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in Lynne, He will quiet Lynne with his love, He will rejoice over Lynne with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17 (NIV)

Prayer

Lord, help me to see that I am loved and accepted just as I am. You take great delight in me despite what I have been through. Help me to feel secure in your love. Amen.