Dear Ones,
Good morning!  Hope you wake to this new day knowing how valued you are by your Heavenly Father as His beloved child. Let us never forget the price He paid for each of us to be set free. Today let us think of people in our lives who also helped us know we have worth and if possible, thank them.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
If we are honest, haven’t all of us at times felt like we weren’t enough and need to prove our worth. We question if our life has purpose and if we belong and even if God really cares about us. The enemy loves to speak lies to us and cause us to doubt God’s love. We may have feelings of insecurity and shame and rather than dwell on those thoughts, we can look to such words as in John 15 when Jesus tells us to live in His love, love others, bear fruit etc. We all need to cultivate our relationship with Him and spend time in prayer, reading the Word and trust and rely on Him.

It’s wonderful when we are raised in a home where we were loved and valued and delighted in, but not all homes are like that. Many know what rejection feels like as in the life of a previous friend when his mom told him she wished she never had him. Words of rejection pierce our hearts, and we often end up not having a secure connection. Instead, we can get protective and defensive and try to hide from pain and from others. It often leaves us distant from the Lord and others as we hide behind walls.

But let us remember that our worth is in the Lord and He values us. Even when we have been wounded in our past by not having secure attachment relationships, our deepest self is hidden with Christ in God. (Col. 3:3) He is the one that can rewire us and give us security, love and understanding. Nothing can separate us from His love. Often, he steers us toward a fellowship group that opens their arms to us as well. At times therapy may be necessary to unlock us from our past. But the most beautiful thing is shared in what Henri Nouwen writes, “Our first and most important spiritual task is to claim God’s unconditional love for ourselves. To remember who we truly are in the memory of God…That we are God’s beloved.”

Challenge for today: Thank the Lord for people in your life that spoke words of kindness and compassion to you, and if possible, thank them also.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy