FROM UNLOVED to LOVED

Do you ever feel unloved in your family or group of friends? Maybe you have experienced a critical or shaming parent, sibling, teacher or friend. They screamed, “You’re no good. You can’t do anything right.” Someone close yelled at me, “You stupid idiot, get out of here! You always embarrass me.”

When we experience abuse, neglect or abandonment, or when we fail at something important to us or others, we are likely to believe that we are not only unloved, but unlovable. Even when we have been surrounded by love, support and praise, something within us may be unconvinced. We may feel unworthy, unlovable and unloved.

It is only the Truth that can set us free to know we are loved. God is love! God created us in His image. He will always love us. He loves us, when our family or friends abandon us, when we sit alone bashing ourselves. He loves us even in spite of our brokenness and sin. “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) God’s love never fails. God will always love us.

Remember your worth in the eyes of God. He loves you better than anyone on earth ever could, including yourself. God’s love is eternal and infinite; it will never run out. “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

What in your story moves you to feel unloved? What story in the bible draws you most to God’s love?

FROM LACKING to ENOUGH

All day long we are in a constant dialogue with ourselves. Researchers estimate our self-talk ranges from 300 to 4000 words per minute, with 70-80 percent of it being negative. We hear internal words like, I’m not good enough…I’m not smart enough…Whatever I do is lacking. This negative self-talk is debilitating, but it is also an invitation to turn to Jesus, our Creator. Whatever positive trait we are lacking, Jesus holds in abundance.

We were created to find our adequacy in Him. He is enough. He fills in what we lack. When we say, “I am not good enough,” He is. When we say, “I am not smart enough,” He is. When we say, “Whatever I do is lacking,” His work is never lacking. Paul wrote, “And I am sure of this, He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6

Let go of the lies that you are not enough and take hold of the truth that you are more than enough with Jesus and His power at work in you! You can be set free from debilitating insecurity. You can move forward on the path to courageous confidence to be and to do everything He calls you to. “Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient….” 2 Corinthians 3:4-6a

“But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ ” 2 Corinthians 12:9

What good trait do you tell yourself that you lack? How does God’s Word help you to understand that in Jesus, by the power of the Spirit, you are enough?