Dear Ones,
Hope you have a blessed Day. We never got to go out for Valentine’s Day and though it is delayed we are going today to try a restaurant in Merrifield that has homemade healthy meals. Emoji Emoji
 Devotions from Judy’s heart
How sweet are the words of affirmation to our souls when we are needing approval or a word to help us know our worth. Some people say they don’t need affirmation, but perhaps they need it more since they may be out of touch with themselves. Of course, the opposite of constantly needing approval or stroking gets old as it is a way some people want continual attention. They can drain us emotionally as there never seems to be enough. They lack self-esteem and self-worth and most often come from homes where they were emotionally-deprived. If they don’t get attention, they may use destructive ways to seek approval, like naughty Johnny in class. They may feel negative attention is better than none. But usually, such constant need of attention is due to not being affirmed early in life, leaving them feeling they are of no value.

Even Christian parents may err on not affirming their children, for fear of them becoming prideful. But without approval families will raise children who wonder about their self-worth. How many times have you heard, I know my dad loved me but he never actually said those words to me. Sometimes the child spends much of their life trying to prove themselves and be someone dad would be proud of, even though he may never say so. Left to ourselves we don’t always reach the right conclusion.

Isn’t it wonderful though that God never forsakes us, though our parents may. David said in Psalm 27:10, “For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in.” It may or may not be true that our parents loved us, if they may never found expression of love and affirmation towards us. But since we know that love and approval is important, we can become sensitive to the needs of others and affirm them. We can start with our own families and tell our kids, I love you, I affirm you, well done, I am proud of you! Then when they do hear negative comments about themselves, they have a reserve of praise and affirmation stored up to offset it and put it into perspective.

We can also affirm ourselves when we recognize that God has put special gifts inside of us and as we use them, glory goes to Him. Let us not be centered on self but thank the Lord for who He made us to be and recognize the gifts He has given us.

Challenge for today: Seek God’s approval foremost and also accept affirmation given by others, remembering to pass on honest praise to others as well.