Dear Ones,
Hoping this will be the last of the snow and that Spring will soon come. Today there is Exercise class and
 Crafts but the Lenten supper and service has already been postponed until tomorrow night. Weather can quickly change things! Your question for this week is Who in your life shows you compassion? Can you think of a specific word they gave you that changed your life in a positive way?
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Are there people in your life that speak kind and loving words to you and show compassion? That is truly a gift from the Lord and we need to do that for one another. We are all on a journey and the Lord sends people to walk with us sometimes for a short time and sometimes for the long distance. They are gifts from Him when we can be vulnerable and ourselves with them and know that they won’t give up on us but supportive of us!

As good as that is, we must also remember to be supportive of ourselves and deal with those deep issues, hurts and expectations we might have of ourselves. We may show others more compassion than we would reserve for ourselves but how can we know ourselves if we hide and cover up. We end up being strangers to ourselves. One man who has blocked out emotions all his life and now getting help, shared how he is experiencing what it means to love and have joy and also pain as he becomes aware of what is going on within himself. It’s like being reborn. Also, many that are so scattered and disordered need help to get things in order in their lives. If we are honest, we all have parts of us that are disconnected from our Center and like Paul said in Romans 7:15, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” We don’t need to be defined by our actions and disorders but to turn back to God in us.

Hopefully we will find our worth in the Lord and know God’s love and acceptance in the deepest parts of our lives. He delights in us and wants to transform us and heal our broken parts. Henri Nouwen wrote, “Self-rejection is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life because it contradicts the sacred voice that calls us the ‘Beloved.’ Being the Beloved constitutes the core truth of our existence.” Let us be compassionate with ourselves and give the Holy Spirit free reign to heal us and to help us become our true selves in Him.

Challenge for today: Ask the Lord to show you what is ‘disordered’ in your life and give Him the pieces so He can weave you into the beautiful person He designed from the very beginning.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy