May 21, 2021

Dear Ones,

Happy weekend to you! The sun is peeking out now and clouds disappearing. Hope it is this way tomorrow as we go to a graduation party etc. This morning I cleaned the apartment and wrote letters etc. This afternoon I am getting my hair cut before we go on our walk.

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Do we view ourselves as one of God’s beloved or as one who is a failure? Many live by assumed identities, viewing themselves as what others have unfavorably spoken of them. Maybe we have been told we will never amount to anything like our father, or are lazy like our mother or stupid and useless. When we accept these lies as truth, it colors how we view ourselves and influences how others see us. It is important that we renounce these judgments of others on our lives and to forgive those who have spoken these untruths. Then we can declare how God sees us and how we need to see ourselves. I read this morning from Ann Spangler’s devotional the story about Chaffetz Chayyim who was a well-known rabbi. He was traveling to give a lecture one evening, and on the train, he asks the man sitting across from him where he is going. The man replies that he is going to hear the greatest sage and saint in the Jewish world today- Chaffetz Chayyim. (He is unaware that he is right there in front of him) The rabbi, Chaffetz himself, was rather embarrassed at such praise, and responded that other people say that this man is really not such a great sage and certainly not a saint. The passenger slapped the rabbi in the face and said to him, ”How dare you disparage such a great man!” Of course, that man was shocked when he later discovered that evening that he had indeed sat across from this great sage and that he had slapped him. Later, after Chaffetz’s speech, the man rushed to find him and begged his forgiveness. But the rabbi said that it was he who needed forgiveness as he had learned a great lesson. He said he had been teaching people that it is wrong to speak disparaging of others but he had now learned it is also wrong to speak that way about oneself. It is true we are not to speak ill of others but we fail whenever we speak negatively about ourselves. We need to accept how God sees us and believe our worth in His sight. He sees us as someone He loves, a new creation in Him and as His temple where His Spirit lives. (I Cor. 3:16) Like the song goes, “I am covered over with the robe of righteousness that Jesus gives to me…. When he looks at me, He sees not what I use to be but He sees Jesus.”

Challenge for today: Accept others as God made them but also accept yourself as He sees you.