Loved Beyond Performance ♡♡♡

 

"As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my son, whom I love, with him I am well pleased" - Matt 3:16-17

Anyone ever struggle with feeling unloved, lonely and unaccepted sometimes? Aye, you are not alone dear friend. I do and a lot of other people have shared with me that they do too. But we really don't have to stay beat down by those negative emotions, if we bring it all back to what truly matters - I.D.E.N.T.I.T.Y ♡

I know for me, even at times when I have people dear in my life, affirming and expressing love to me in so may different ways; embracing of the person that I am, I soon find myself  in lack, never fully satisfied. Triggered by things happening around me and in my thoughts. But thankfully there are also times in my life, when I do feel fully loved, fully accepted and fully embraced. At those moments, it is because I have chosen deliberately to be secure in the love and acceptance the father holds out for me. You can trust that I am now fighting for this to be a constant in my life. We all need to get that mind right to live a wholesome life eh!! :)

So below are some of the insecurities that can come at me from time to time. Can we be real?

• Am I fulfilling purpose? I don't feel like it right now duh! No one acts like they care for what I have to say...
• I know I'll be a mother someday, but when? I don't want to be old when I have them - lol
• Maybe I am over the top with my faith? Do I talk too much about Jesus?
• Am I loved for who I am, or what others want from me?
• I have moved on from mistakes of the past, but I feel like some people haven't moved on from it..
• Am I good wife? Am I succeeding at being the partner I am meant to be for my spouse?
• I talk too much. Need to learn how to be a lot quiet lol
• God are you pleased with me? even though I continue to fall short in this area?...

And the list can go on and on? What's yours? :) I'd like you to please read our focal scripture again. You see, before Jesus had done much of anything, the father affirmed him, and publicly too for that matter. I mean he was just baptized by John, coming out of the water. We know he was the son of God, but from our perspective that could easily have been a new convert. At that very moment the heaven opens. God affirms boldly and authoritatively: my beloved son, the one I am well pleased with. Wow! - Like he had not even done much of anything yet at that point. He had just come out of a 40 days fast in the wilderness; face to face with all kinds of temptations from his enemy Satan. Ya, he def needed that love for real :)

It's very easy to slip into a life of performance in our quest to feel loved, accepted and fully embraced. Some people do everything they can to please thier friends, thier families, their colleagues, spouses, thier pastors and leaders etc. Hoping that they would reciprocate that same love and energy, so that in turn they'll also feel loved, embraced and fully accepted. Unfortunately, whilst it is great to have great relationships, live at peace with others and get along where possible; people were not made to make us feel secure about who we are, because only God can. If we understand this deeply, not only would our relating with others and the world around us be better for it, we would also live wholesome, healthy lives with a strong sense of belonging and Identity.

"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads you into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because is isn't looking for him and doesn't recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you" - John 14:16-17

Jesus says here that he would ask the Father to give "you" another advocate, who will NEVER leave you and will be in You. What will be his job? It will be to lead you to ALL truth. Isn't that amazing? I mean who wouldn't want to be led into all truth? Jesus was about to leave the world, promising the gift of the Holyspirit in this passage. Because we all need help on this journey, help beyond ourselves. Because sometimes, we forget who we are. Because sometimes we can feel alone. Because sometimes, we are clueless and have absolutely no idea what to do. Because sometimes, even our fellow human beings will not always have the answer. Probably a good place then to ask if you do acknowledge the Holyspirit in your life as someone very important? relying, depending and reaching out to him. And if you don't know Jesus and haven't accepted him as your Lord and Saviour? Probably a good place to invite you to do so? The gift of the HolySpirit, is given by God, because his son Jesus asks for him to help us navigate this world, to comfort us at all times and in all seasons, to instruct and strengthen us to obey the Lord. To stick with us through everything. I mean everything. The guy got your back, more than your back got you :)  ♡Please reach out♡

There are many factors in this world that can cause us to question our true Identity. Culture, status, relationships, issues from our past, family set up, our peers, religious believes, comparisons and even some of our own personal expectations, just to name a few. Some of these become factors by which we determine how much we are cared for, loved, embraced or fully affirmed. However, these are mere trappings. We would only be able to engage our world in a way that is healthy and wholesome, if we ourselves are fully secure in the love that God has for us. We are only able to love well, if we ourselves feel loved in God. We are also able to throw ourselves fully to the purposes of God, when we recognize that He loves us first and foremost before anything we will ever do for him. This could be what truly distinguishes a person who doesn't have much of anything else going for them externally, but yet lives "alive" and another person who might have so much going for them and yet miserable. We are not loved because we perform. We are loved & that's on period. But it is only the truth that you know, that truly sets you free? So how about you start engaging & relying more on the Holyspirit when in doubt? Instead of running to Neflix, Instagram or calling that friend that never picks up lol

      Beloved, you are accepted, you are embraced & you are loved. I hope you know and understand this to be true!! ♡♡♡

Love,

Shay