NOVEMBER 25
Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. (1 Cor. 13:12 NLT)
If you’ve ever played with Photoshop or used some of those apps that make your pictures look funny, then you know appearances are not always accurate. You may look around at church and think everyone else has it together, or that you’re the only one who feels unworthy and inadequate.
If you’re like me, sometimes you look in the mirror and really struggle with the person looking back. Usually this happens when you’ve blown it, or hurt someone you love, or compared yourself to someone else and come up short. You think, “How could God ever love me when I’m such a big mess?”
But he does.
Too often, we work hard to hide the burden we’re carrying and end up feeling even more alone. But God doesn’t want us feeling this way, doubting his love for us and falling prey to our Enemy. We don’t have to live perfectly or have our act together all the time. That’s the very reason God sent Jesus to us—not to bring religion to the world, but to set us free from the law, and to give us something better: a relationship with him.
Sometimes the hardest part of starting over is seeing yourself the way God sees you—as his beloved child.
Power Lift
Father, today I want to let go of the old ways I tend to see myself. Help me to accept the truth about how much you love me.
Groeschel, Craig. Daily Power: 365 Days of Fuel for Your Soul. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2017. Print.