My Morning Thoughts

I am on another journey this week. A week of learning a new trade. It’s tough for sure and I wonder if you can really teach this old dog new tricks. But I just learned something new about myself this morning.

As I sit here this morning drinking my coffee and a million thoughts rushing through my head, I turned on a religious program. I am not familiar with TV religious speakers. This woman has an accent of some sort. Her name is Sheila, I think.

As soon as she began to speak, I was touched by the words she said. You see, I feel separated from others, from society, because of my outward appearance. I am filled with thoughts that I am not good enough for friends, for a mate, and others who I feel judge me on my failure to take care of myself. Everyday is getting more difficult for me to find the control and discipline I need to improve the faults I see in myself. I know my physical appearance is not what it was or what it should be. I’ve not allowed myself to backslide like this in a very very long time. And I am discouraged. But these thoughts go deeper than that. This speaker said that with the thoughts we feel about ourselves, we tend feel that God has those same thoughts about us. And I never thought about this out loud but yes, I do feel that God feels the same about me as I feel about myself. And how wrong is that? Very.

We want to be accepted by the world. And for some reason, we need the world’s approval in order to feel worthy. Jesus was despised by the world. The world He came to save. And the Bible said He was not an attractive man.

Isaiah 3:2
For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.

But the man He was on earth was beautiful on the inside. Still most rejected Him. His grief came from the rejection of His message. He was not concerned with His outer appearance.

Isaiah 53:3-4
He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.

I need to change my focus. I don’t need the world’s approval to find my worth. If my outward appearance keeps relationships from me, so be it, as painful that is. I need to find my value in God.

I’m not worthy of salvation but that was the whole purpose of Jesus coming to this earth. He died in our place and through His shed blood, we find our worthiness.

Our thoughts are bold and strong and they often mislead us. We believe that God feels about us the way we feel about ourselves and that’s just not true.

Don’t let the world control your worth and devalue your life upon this earth. The world is not your judge. The world has no say in your salvation. Be happy today in who you are, even if you are in a season right now of discomfort. Fix what you can but don’t let your “flaws” control your day. Don’t let them supersede the good within you.

My outward appearance is a distraction to me every minute of my life. I will try harder to control what I can but I must let the rest go. I cannot let my outward appearance define me. I’m still the same person on the inside.

Keep looking upward. Know that Jesus knows how we feel every minute of our life. He took human form and felt all that we feel. He pushed forward with what really matters…the inward part of us. Our soul.

Find your peace today. Love and hugs.♥️

Andi

Photos: mine, except for the last one which was found on the internet.