Life can get hard. Like, really hard. It’s inevitable to have a life full of bumpy roads, most of them being a lot worse than Robert Frost’s ideal “Road Not Taken.” It may get unbearable. It may feel like instead of life giving you lemons, that it’s just squirting them in your eyes. You may feel like giving up. But no matter what you endure in life, the one thing you must remember is who you are in Christ. It’s easy to get lost in your identity when your closest friends and family members seem to forget about you. Losing touch with your emotional and spiritual support, even for a short amount of time, can be very impactful in your everyday life. If you are even feeling a tad bit unappreciated, just remember these four things.
- You are loved.
- Romans 5:8 says, “I love you at your darkest.” When God says this in the Bible, He means it. We love because HE first loved us. God’s intimacy with us depends on our effort with him. The more you press into His presence, the more you will encounter a tangible difference of heart with His eternal love. No matter where you are in life, God is right next to you, calling your name and wanting you to go to Him, whether the situation it’s good or bad. He longs for you to embrace Him throughout the darkest of times in order to lean on His mercy instead of your own understanding. Going to God for both good and bad times in life doesn't show that you're weak; it shows the exact opposite. Our strength is defined by faith! After all, David wasn't the physically strongest of people when he defeated Goliath, but his faith stood above all else.
2. You are adequate.
- In your everyday life as well as your spiritual walk, God is working on you. Being “behind the scenes” in your prayer life is just as important as being front and center. God works on our hearts behind the scenes in order to increase our humbleness. Our hearts are prepared to accept His love and pour out into others’ lives in our alone time because our hearts’ change is a form of spiritual intimacy. God doesn’t want us to brag about our spiritual accomplishments as much as He doesn’t want us to run away from Him. Our everyday life is full of similar situations. We have plenty of relationships that are full of “give and take.” It feels terrible to do things for someone and not receive any verbal appreciation. Although we do these things out of the goodness of our hearts, it is easy to feel unappreciated when we lose touch with gratitude. Going to God in thankfulness and explaining our hurt is what He wants. Whether you know it or not, most people are extremely thankful for the things you do. We can’t get caught up in the fact that we are doing more than the norm as much as we can’t use people as our source of joy.
3. You are smart. You are kind. You are important.
- God sees you as this and more. Often times, we are overwhelmed with the negative aspects of ourselves. God looks at you and sees a beautiful creation. He looks at you and sees potential. Every time He looks at you, His heart skips a beat. His love for us is undying and impossible to even begin to comprehend. When God says, “You were fearfully and wonderfully made,” He didn’t limit that to everyone but you. You may see everyone but yourself on the cusp of greatness. You may think that everyone is beautiful and smart compared to you. God didn’t exclude you from His almighty plans. We all make up the body of Christ and are all equally important to Him. He is jealous for you and your heart. God never says that you have to prove yourself to anyone, including Him. So, if you feel like you are a mess, take your rugged, worn-out self to His feet and just open your heart. I promise you it will make a visible change. You are never required to be in competition with others for His love and attention. Similar to our daily lives, we don’t have to prove ourselves to anyone, no matter how hard it may seem. If it’s getting into a dream school or constantly doing favors out of complete willingness, how important is that compared to the love that God has already, is and is going to provide us with? Your worth is not merely defined by others’ approval.
4. You are being made stronger.
- When you are going through rough patches in life, you may find yourself asking God, “Why me?” There are times when life may seem unfair. But God designed our lives to endure tough situations to make us stronger and create our unique, intricate testimonies. Giving up on God in the midst of our hard times interrupts the process of our eminent change, leaving ourselves in a larger spiritual rut than the first place. Has a family member done you wrong? Are you unhappy with certain relationships? It’s time to just stop, be still and listen to God. Leaving His side isn’t the answer. You may feel lost and pick up what you left at His feet. There isn’t a single reason not to forgive. After all, Jesus forgave us for all of our sins on the cross, bearing all of the burdens for humanity. There is absolutely nothing in what Jesus himself or his early followers taught that suggests you can decide just to enjoy forgiveness at Jesus’ expense and have nothing more to do with Him. In our own lives, we must be the same exact way. Holding onto grudges and hurt makes it harder on our mental, physical and emotional health and builds an emotional wall to both others and Christ. Allow yourself to drop the hurt and run to your Heavenly father and receive some genuine, spiritual TLC. Don't worry; you are going to be fortified in faith.
Life may get hard. Like, really hard. You may feel unappreciated. Don’t get caught up in this part of life. You aren’t forgotten or overlooked. 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your worries on Him because He cares for you.” So get into Christ’s word, pray, and treat yo self. You deserve it. Keep holding on, girl. The best is yet to come.
