At the end of my morning prayer times, the Lord will often whisper to my heart, "Ask Me for a favor." One day recently, I asked Him to tell me what favor I could do for Him. His answer shocked me:
"
Quit Punishing Yourself."
Oh. My. I didn't know I was. I understand why the Lord would ask me this favor. If I believe the blood of His Son, Jesus is enough to eradicate my guilt--every ounce of it--why would I feel it necessary to receive condemning thoughts, think I'm stupid and fat, or any one of a thousand other ways I punish myself?
I say I believe it. Now I must love myself enough to prove I believe it.
Do you believe? Or do you catch yourself trying to make up for your sins by punishing yourself? You can't, you know. Only Jesus can wash us clean, inside and out, and prepare us to stand guiltless in the presence of Almighty God. I hope you believe that, because
I like you mighty fine, and I want you to be with me in Heaven. If you'd like to believe but don't know how, please email me at jeanettelevellie(at)gmail(dot)com. I'll help you get to know Jesus, so you can quit punishing yourself, too.
Love you,
Sadly, I play all sorts of head games like this. I love that only He can truly untangle all that's matted and messed up there.
ReplyDelete~ Wendy
Hi Jeanette. I couldn't get your blog to come up last night and I nearly panicked. I don't want to lose you. So this morning, there it was, yeah! I'm glad you posted this idea. I get it and then I forget sometimes. Thanks for the timely reminder. I do think I am doing better. Recently I felt like doing the negative thing and I just couldn't. The Lord loves me and that's it.
ReplyDeleteI am so guilty of this my precious friend and i needed this post today!
ReplyDeleteI've always found forgiveness for me to be a process. Sometimes I lay it before the cross fairly quickly, other times it messes with me long and hard before I accept His amazing Grace!
ReplyDeleteStill working on this one! Thanks for the reminder!
ReplyDeleteI too feel that we all should love ourselves more than we expect others to.
ReplyDeleteSuch a beautiful truth....now if it would only fully penetrate my thick skull.
ReplyDeleteGuilty here. Thanks for this reminder. Jesus set us free, there's no need to beat ourselves up over something He already took care of.
ReplyDeleteHappy Mother's Day weekend,
Karen
All you say is so true. We do play mind games with ourselves - there is no doubt and Jesus alone can make us whole.
ReplyDeleteI do believe HE gives us ways to help do this.
Some people including myself grew up without self esteem for a variety of reasons. When you get to be an adult - you look in the mirror - and you hear all the old tapes running.
You're bad - you're stupid - you won't amount to anything...
I think you do have to self talk yourself into liking yourself.
Go to a Christian counselor - read postive books and try to be grateful and happy. These are things I believe He gives us to help change us and love us.
Happy Mother's Day.
Sandie
So true, Jeanette! This is a truth I have to remind myself of daily.
ReplyDeleteJeanette:
ReplyDeleteI have done this guilt/punishment thing. I believe we fall victim to it because we can't quite accept that Jesus died for our sins. The main reason is we are human. He died for you and me, so we could be with Him in Heaven when our time on earth is over.
A good post.
Happy Mother's Day
I like you mighty fine too. I need to guard my thoughts more against interruptions of self-punishment. Sometimes it shows up in how I deny my needs as well. I have to remind myself he's given me life here, at this moment, to enjoy His creations.
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet and tender thought . . . asking God for a favor, and at His request. It is a great way that God has spoken truth to you. Thanks for sharing this with us, Jen.
ReplyDeleteHappy Mother's Day.
Fondly,
Glenda
Love it, Jeanette. I needed these words.
ReplyDeletePraying favor as you prepare your proposal!
Love,
Rhonda
Yes, I do. I bargain and tell myself how badly I messed up and promise to be better all the time. Good post!
ReplyDeleteI heart you so. I'm so thrilled Jesus thinks I'm enough. =)
ReplyDeleteoh, such a good post! So often I find it hard to receive grace. Thanks for this reminder.
ReplyDeleteMel
I needed this today, Jeanette...actually I need it quite often. Thank you for this wonderful reminder. Hugs, Karen
ReplyDeletePS: Hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day!