© 2006 Donna L. Watkins - Frog
Do you sometimes find yourself proclaiming gloom and doom over your life? I have a friend that has been having a grand time of life lately and the other day she began "expecting" things to go badly because they had gone so good for quite awhile. Why don't we expect to have a good time of life. Why do we believe those old wives tales about "knocking on wood" and not saying anything or "something will go wrong."If we expect or fear something is going to soon go wrong with a great situation, do we have any effect on whether it goes sour? If we expect something to happen to change the joy of life into the dreads of life, do we begin looking for it happen? Are we waiting with expectation of evil instead of rejoicing in the delights of our days?
Since every action begins with a thought, how does it affect our lives when we begin thinking that things will go wrong? Do we begin to notice slight imperfections in relationships or circumstances and make a "mountain out of a mole hill?" If we were rejoicing, we would be in mercy mode and slight irritations or bad moments would slide right on by almost unnoticed.
Instead we begin to be in judgment mode because we have actually made a judgment about what our life is going to be like. Will those thoughts begin to seek justification for that judgment? We do like to be correct, don't we? Even to our own hurt.
Thoughts of "this isn't going to last" may be based on a root belief system operating that says, "I don't deserve to be this happy."
Nobody has had a perfect childhood or adult life and I've not met anybody that received perfect unconditional love from parents, siblings, friends, boyfriends or spouses. Relationships are made up of less than perfect people. Only God gives us unconditional love, but again, we may feel that we don't deserve that either. Yes, God is love and He loves everybody, but when you bring it down to just YOU ... do YOU accept His unconditional love or are you living a performance-based lifestyle that says love is based on rules?
Do you read the Bible with God's mercy and love on your mind ... or do you see the law and a God with a gavel ready to judge you for not being all that you think you should be. All that you think you should be based on your interpretation of the Scriptures.
When we put those kinds of burdens on ourselves, we also place them on others around us. We can't give unconditional love if we are not willing to accept His. Galatians 5:14 tells us that the whole law is fulfilled in one word, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." We know from the Parable of the Good Samaritan that everybody is our neighbor. Paul reviewing the 10 Commandments in Romans 13:9 tells us, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."
If we aren't loving ourselves, we're not living the Christian life too well.
Expect good. Allow yourself good. Be good to yourself. Enjoy life. Do things you WANT to do, not only what you HAVE to do. Falling in love with yourself will allow love to flow out to others and your relationships will become rich and fulfilling and you will change lives.
In these days of self-doubt, poor self-esteem and continual spread of doom and gloom in the media, we need to see God's kind of love that says, "You are of value." Let me speak into your heart and say that your thoughts, your desires, your dreams and wants that won't leave you alone are there for a reason. God places passion within us for His purposes. Seek His face and ask Him to direct your steps. Walk in love towards yourself and you will naturally begin to love others. Reach out and accept His unconditional love for you.
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