So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. Romans 8:1-2 NLT
Raise your hand if you have every been picked on in your lifetime. I can pretty much see by the show of hands that we have all been there before. Lies and rumors and hurtful names can cut at you worse than actually being stabbed with a sharpened knife. Kids tease and parents ridicule. We get told we are not good enough or that we will not amount to anything. We are bombarded with comments about our weight and overall appearance. These are truly Satan’s attacks on our lives, especially since most of it occurs when we are very young and once the rejection sets in we begin to believe it to be true because it is all we know.
I was teased a lot in elementary school and it really destroyed me as a person until I got to high school. I was called names and teased for my clothes. My parents were not financially blessed but they did their best. My mom shopped at Goodwill when it wasn’t cool, it was considered a place where you went when you were poor. The other piece to the destruction to my self image was my dad at times would call me chubby and it quickly became who I was and I struggled in junior high to get rid of that feeling. I ended up staying skinny but it wasn’t because I had healthy eating habits. I still struggle sometimes today about my appearance but because I have learned to see myself as Jesus does, the pain is not there.
Just like a tree that has been pecked at over and over by the woodpecker, our souls begin to get holes in them. The more we get teased, the more holes we accumulate and then pretty soon part of us begins to die and sometimes no matter how much someone tries to pour life back into us it just seeps out the holes. We just no longer know how to receive anything good about ourselves, we have accepted all of those crazy lies and we have no idea how to stop the pain. Just like in my blog the other day, we have to expose the roots and start forgiving those who have hurt us.
For me, it took forgiving a lot of people in my life and finally accepting myself for how God saw me. I had to read His promises for my life to fill in the holes from the enemy and it was the only way for life to begin again in my soul. If we dwell so much on what others say about us we will never see what God made us for. We will never be able to experience love and acceptance.
Today, choose to forgive those who have put holes in your soul. Begin today to see yourself as God does. Let those who truly love you, pour into your soul and help you heal. Allow God to show you how He sees you. Give yourself another chance to be a living member of society knowing where you stand with God. You are a Son or Daughter of the Most High and He delights in everything about you!
Step Upon the Golden Road with Me! 