**Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! Many are they that rise up against me.** Psalm 3:1
Life is full of seasons and I am not in a nice one. Seems no matter what I say or do, I have someone mad at me. I am not doing it intentionally, it’s just what is happening right now. Sometimes, it is totally my fault. I am too emotional or too detached or too demanding or too….too! And the worse ones are when I really think I am doing the right thing and it still turns out bad. Does that happen to you? It’s gotten to the point that I think, “Hey, God, what´s going on? Can you give me an excuse so I can hide under a rock for awhile?!!”
So, what do I need to do when I am in one of these seasons? Yes, I have been here more than once! Well, I used to cry, whine, fight back, get ANGRY and self chastise! But now, the first thing I do is forgive myself. I’m human. Fallible. Bent on messing things up. I’m emotional, overly sensitive and too quick to jump in where I don’t belong. None of this is news to me. But I’ve learned to like me. The good me and the not so good me. Because God likes me. He not only likes me, He LOVES to spend time with me. How do I know that? Because He is always here next to me. When I am discouraged He encourages me, when I am mad He gently taps me on the shoulder and tells me to calm down. When I am ready to throw in the towel, He sends me good news from far away.
So, if God can stick it out, so can I. I’ve learned unconditional love from Him. And, I’m learning how to apply it, first to me and then to others. Ephesians 5 tells us that men that love their wives love themselves. An interesting commentary on husbands, right?
Getting back on subject…I think we are talking about a love chain. God loves us, we learn to love ourselves and then we can love someone else. But if we don’t like us, how can we like someone else? John 15:12, Ephesians 4:2
And that love should keep growing. I am overwhelmed, awestruck, blown away with the intensity of God’s love for me. Being held under that shelter of complete acceptance from the Creator of the Universe, how can I not learn to love myself? If He sees so much value in me, why can’t I see value in myself? And again, I need to pass it on to the girl next door!! There’s too much love there to keep it all in one place. Absorb it, shower under it, wrap yourself in the immense love of God and then give it away!!! Pass it on!! There’s more than enough to go around!!
Let’s all dig in and learn this, it is impacting!! 1 Thess 3:12, 4:9 Heb 10:24 1 Peter 1:22
“Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.” 1 John 4:11