~ Word ~

Proverbs 3:3-4

“Let not mercy and truth forsake you;

Bind them around your neck,

Write them on the tablet of your heart,

And so find favor and high esteem

In the sight of God and man.”

my twocents…

why do we so long for approval? it seems as though we can achieve so much but see it as nothing if it not at least acknowledged by someone. and it’s also true that often when we are acknowledged or commemorated, we brush it off as though we don’t deserve it. if a tree falls in the middle of the forest with no one around, does it make a sound? yes! many of us are stuck in this impossible conundrum: “nothing we can achieve is ever good enough and valuable enough to receive validation”. i think this lie dramatically contributes to our faulty reward system. if the system never allows for reward, then we will seek dishonorable ways to receive that dose of dopamine, as if dopamine or simply feeling good is so forbidden. what started all this condemnation? why or when did we feel it was right to lock ourselves up in chains? where did we lose all sense of mercy for ourselves? hence, we are so hard on ourselves, we reject love on all fronts, especially loving ourselves (in a healthy, non-prideful way). thankfully, many of us discover mercy for our first time when we receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our savior. but there’s still a lot of work to be done beyond that. the Lord has to work to renew our minds daily, to revive our souls daily. our mind, emotion and will do not change in the same instance that our spirit was saved by grace. that’s another way to somewhat comprehend how it is possible to become saved but still be stuck in this fleshly body and why we struggle with this nature of duality. thankfully, the Lord’s Word tells us that the way to find favor and high esteem among God and man is to hold close the concepts of mercy and truth. a: do not repeat lies to yourself and b: do not be so unforgiving, especially to the self and to neighbors alike. condemnation is not of God, so there is no place for it. self-loathing and self-pity only keep us to the confines that our best achievements are still unworthy and withholding that love is exactly a lack of mercy. God never falls short in His dosage of mercy to us. it is abundant and plentiful. He shares it with us in His Word every day. so take Him seriously and hold tight to mercy and truth. observe how you treat others and especially how you treat yourself. be forgiving and leave room which says, ‘maybe i don’t have the answer right now, but i trust God and i am doing my best, which is good enough.’ and savor that deep breath that is His blessing to us in every moment.