Have you ever wondered why the rape victim gets blamed for it? Or why they blame themselves? I have.
Have you ever wondered why a bully victim is told to "just toughen up and they'll back off" as though it somehow their fault the bully chose to target them? I have.
And have you ever wondered why an abused spouse gets so little support from so many people? I definitely have.
Did you wonder, as I did, reading about the Rotherham report why the police looked the other way? Or why sex abuse victims of Asian background stay silent because of the shame they'll bring on their family?
Or do you hear about the recent sex crimes (let's call it like it is) against celebrities such as Jennifer Lawrence and wonder why on earth everybody is blaming her? I did.
Then I read an article on Psychology Today addressing exactly that issue. Are we blaming the famous victims of the nude photo thefts? And, after I read it, I understood the world a little bit more. And saw more clearly just what the affects of sin has had on the world.
Turns out, there's this thing called the Just World Phenomenon. This is essentially our instinctive belief (or need to believe) that the world is a just and fair place. Humans have such a strong reaction against injustice that in order to create the perception of justice, they find reasons to blame the victims of injustice. The greater the injustice, the stronger the reaction of blaming the victim. This, therefore, eradicates the injustice of the world and everything is right and fair and proper again.
Except that it isn't. Because children are still being abused. Women (and men) are still being taken advantage of. Private property is still being stolen. And now, not only is the unjust act happening, it is also being encouraged as people look the other or blame the victim.
And the great irony of this entire phenomenon is that the very desire for justice, the need for justice, is what causes some of the greatest injustices.
It's what says that prostitutes must enjoy their work or they would leave - allowing extreme sexual, emotional, psychological and spiritual abuse to continue unchecked. It's what leaves abused husbands and wives trapped in their abusive circumstances. It's what leaves a child feeling drained and empty as they are being bullied - because let me tell you, as someone who spent years of my life being bullied, it is the thought that you deserve what is happening to you that hurts the most. As though somehow my white skin, funny accent, strange religion and intelligence gave the bully a license to bully me.
And here's what I have realized: it is only when we recognize that the world is an unjust place that justice can be served. It is only when we can wrap our heads around the contradiction that is our world - the belief in the existence of justice and the undeniable presence of injustice - that we can begin to heal the wounds of the hurting.
Because it's true - justice is a fundamental part of the design of the world. Injustice was never the intention of our Creator. I'm starting to think that the longing for, the desire for, justice is part of what it means to be created in His image. Our world was designed to be a place of justice. And humans were designed to be just and fair.
Only something went very, very wrong. One split second of desiring something more than perfection has led to a whole world of imperfection. One split second of desiring something more than justice has lead to a whole world of injustice. We sinned. And the world became an unjust place. And people became an unjust people.
And so we can understand a little more of the state of the world. We were designed for justice, so we long for it and see the world through the lens of "is this just?" But we sinned, so we live in the middle of injustice, dishing out injustice.
But, hey! Good news. Our perfectly just God will do something about all the injustice. It hurts Him even more than it hurts us. He will rectify injustice. He will bring justice to all those who perpetrated injustice. He will punish them, severely.
But in His perfect justice, He is also perfectly merciful. So He has provided an escape from His punishment. By passing the punishment to One who did not deserve it. To Jesus. Injustice merits death. Just Jesus died (and then came back to life!) so that unjust humans could live. And this escape? It is sufficient for everyone. But it is efficient only for those who choose to take it.
And it's when we realize that a) the world is unjust, b) justice will be served and c) mercy has been given that we can begin to heal the wounds of injustice. Because we're not pointing fingers or pretending that injustice doesn't exist. Instead, we're acknowledging that injustice is rampant - and offering the solution.
Showing posts with label Sin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sin. Show all posts
Friday, 5 September 2014
Monday, 18 August 2014
Things to Remember When You're Struggling with Temptation
I had a realization last night. It was one of those things where you think of something you've always known in a slightly different light and suddenly you find yourself blown away.
I was chatting to one of the woman at church about Jesus. About how He was 100% human, so He faced all the temptations we face. About how He was also 100% divine, so He never gave in to those temptations.
And it struck me, as we spoke, that that meant Jesus was tempted by sex.
It also struck me that it meant Jesus was tempted to be discouraged over His singleness. To be discontent with His lot in life. (And let's face it, which of us would be content knowing that our life was lived for the purpose of dying to save a bunch of people who didn't care in the least?)
Yeah, He face sexual temptation. And discontentment temptation. And selfishness temptation. And laziness temptation. And gluttony temptation. And lying temptation. And every temptation under the sun.
And He stood firm.
He did not once compromise His godliness and sinlessness.
And somehow we think there's this big no-no when it comes to temptations. As though admitting we even have them makes us look weak, never mind actually giving into them.
There's a shame that goes with being tempted. How dare that good Christian boy/girl struggle against the temptation to think lustfully? How dare that good Christian boy/girl struggle against the temptation to lie? To steal? To (fill blank with your biggest temptation)?
And it's a shame that stops us from talking to each other. But even worse, it's a shame that stops us from talking to God?
And how crazy is that when God as man was tempted in just the same ways we are?
Why do we have this nutso idea that we can only come to God when we've got everything right?
Why do we think the Church is a boarding house for saints when really it's the ER for sinners?
Why does the Christian who doesn't have it all together get condemned and judged by other Christians? Maybe it's because we're all hoping that if people are looking at others they will be too busy to look at us.
Too busy to see that we really should not put that DVD into the player because oh my word does it make us hate our lives.
Too busy to see that we really should not read that book because the amount of time we spend pouring over that sex scene is, well, sinful.
Too busy to see that we really should not go on Youtube because it just sucks all of our time away.
Too busy to see all those little temptations we face. Too busy to see all those little ways we give into them.
And maybe, if they don't see them, then God doesn't and we'll still be acceptable as His child...
And suddenly, we're not going to God with empty hands. We're going to God with hands hidden behind our backs clutching guilt and shame. And how are we meant to cling to the cross like that?
And so we don't talk about it. We don't pray about it. And all the while we're slowly dying and God is calling "While you were still sinners, I died for you. Not after you got it all together, while you were still sinners. Nothing can separate you from my love, not even that temptation, that sin you think you're hiding from me.
"Let go of it. Let me take it away. Just trust in my grace."
O, my dear, dear friend, I'm as guilty of this as everybody else. I think I have to go to God with all my problems solved. As if the Creator of the Universe doesn't already have the solution.
I think I somehow have to not be tempted so that will accept me. As if the God who became a man doesn't know what temptation is. Doesn't know how to fight it.
And when every day is a battle against something, why don't I go to my commander for advice?
When every day is filled with guilt, why don't I let go and trust God when He promises that nothing, nothing will ever separate us from Him as long as we cling to Him?
When every day is full of weariness and exhaustion, why don't we answer when God says "come to me, you who are weary, and I will give you rest?"
So, next time we face temptation, why don't we pray?
Why don't we pray to the God who understands because He was a man?
Why don't we pray to the God who faced temptation and won?
Why don't we pray to the God who counts us as righteous because of the blood of Christ?
Why don't we pray to the God who chose us to be heirs of eternal life in the full knowledge that we would be sinful?
Why don't we pray to the God who already knows every little detail about us - and has proved He loves us anyway?
Life is a battle against spiritual forces - so let's fight as we are. Members of the family that has already won, because of the Father who defeated death and sin and temptation.
I was chatting to one of the woman at church about Jesus. About how He was 100% human, so He faced all the temptations we face. About how He was also 100% divine, so He never gave in to those temptations.
And it struck me, as we spoke, that that meant Jesus was tempted by sex.
It also struck me that it meant Jesus was tempted to be discouraged over His singleness. To be discontent with His lot in life. (And let's face it, which of us would be content knowing that our life was lived for the purpose of dying to save a bunch of people who didn't care in the least?)
Yeah, He face sexual temptation. And discontentment temptation. And selfishness temptation. And laziness temptation. And gluttony temptation. And lying temptation. And every temptation under the sun.
And He stood firm.
He did not once compromise His godliness and sinlessness.
And somehow we think there's this big no-no when it comes to temptations. As though admitting we even have them makes us look weak, never mind actually giving into them.
There's a shame that goes with being tempted. How dare that good Christian boy/girl struggle against the temptation to think lustfully? How dare that good Christian boy/girl struggle against the temptation to lie? To steal? To (fill blank with your biggest temptation)?
And it's a shame that stops us from talking to each other. But even worse, it's a shame that stops us from talking to God?
And how crazy is that when God as man was tempted in just the same ways we are?
Why do we have this nutso idea that we can only come to God when we've got everything right?
Why do we think the Church is a boarding house for saints when really it's the ER for sinners?
Why does the Christian who doesn't have it all together get condemned and judged by other Christians? Maybe it's because we're all hoping that if people are looking at others they will be too busy to look at us.
Too busy to see that we really should not put that DVD into the player because oh my word does it make us hate our lives.
Too busy to see that we really should not read that book because the amount of time we spend pouring over that sex scene is, well, sinful.
Too busy to see that we really should not go on Youtube because it just sucks all of our time away.
Too busy to see all those little temptations we face. Too busy to see all those little ways we give into them.
And maybe, if they don't see them, then God doesn't and we'll still be acceptable as His child...
And suddenly, we're not going to God with empty hands. We're going to God with hands hidden behind our backs clutching guilt and shame. And how are we meant to cling to the cross like that?
And so we don't talk about it. We don't pray about it. And all the while we're slowly dying and God is calling "While you were still sinners, I died for you. Not after you got it all together, while you were still sinners. Nothing can separate you from my love, not even that temptation, that sin you think you're hiding from me.
"Let go of it. Let me take it away. Just trust in my grace."
O, my dear, dear friend, I'm as guilty of this as everybody else. I think I have to go to God with all my problems solved. As if the Creator of the Universe doesn't already have the solution.
I think I somehow have to not be tempted so that will accept me. As if the God who became a man doesn't know what temptation is. Doesn't know how to fight it.
And when every day is a battle against something, why don't I go to my commander for advice?
When every day is filled with guilt, why don't I let go and trust God when He promises that nothing, nothing will ever separate us from Him as long as we cling to Him?
When every day is full of weariness and exhaustion, why don't we answer when God says "come to me, you who are weary, and I will give you rest?"
So, next time we face temptation, why don't we pray?
Why don't we pray to the God who understands because He was a man?
Why don't we pray to the God who faced temptation and won?
Why don't we pray to the God who counts us as righteous because of the blood of Christ?
Why don't we pray to the God who chose us to be heirs of eternal life in the full knowledge that we would be sinful?
Why don't we pray to the God who already knows every little detail about us - and has proved He loves us anyway?
Life is a battle against spiritual forces - so let's fight as we are. Members of the family that has already won, because of the Father who defeated death and sin and temptation.
Tuesday, 17 September 2013
To all Those Who Have Wished They Were Someone Else
Hey you!
Yeah, you. You're the one I'm talking to.
So glad you could stop and chat with me for a bit.
I just wanted to say, you're looking great today.
And I mean that.
Don't grin and roll your eyes at me.
You really do look great. I wonder if you realize just how many people that smile of yours has touched today, even if it was only a brief smile?
Yeah, yeah. I know. I know every response that brain of yours is coming up with. Believe me, I've used them all.
But trust me, your friends, and even some people you don't really know, drew some energy and joy from that smile you gave them. Such a beautiful smile. Unique to you.
And you know what? You're amazing.
Let me repeat that, because you probably don't get told it enough, and you certainly don't realize it enough.
You. Are. Amazing.
Absolutely breathtaking.
Course, you most likely don't believe that. Trust me, I know that too. I certainly have a very hard time believing it when I hear it.
After all, what's so amazing about me? Or, more pertinent to this little chat of ours, what's so amazing about you?
Well, where do I start.
Let's start here:
1) You are a wonderfully unique human being. I mean it.
I like biology. Theoretical genetics is one of my favourite topics. And you know what my understanding of theoretical genetics tells me? You are absolutely, 100% your own person. You have a genetic code that nobody else on this planet has.
I could through all those technical terms about random this and random that and crossing over at you, but all they mean is that no-one else has your genetic code. No-one else has had your genetic code.
No-one else will have your genetic code.
Unless of course, your an identical twin, in which case, you and your twin share 100% of you DNA.
But you know what, you two are still totally unique. Because who we are is so much deeper than just our genetic code.
No-one else has the same mixture of tastes you do. Nobody else listens to the same mixture of music genres or enjoys the same mixture of flavours or flowers or movies or shows or anything like that.
And your personality. Your personality is so your own. Sure you will meet people with very similar personality types, but you have a set of personality quirks which is uniquely yours.
You are so amazingly unique.
2) And do you know what being unique makes you?
It makes you precious. So very precious.
Do you know what the world's governments have said the highest they'll pay in ransom for a single person is? $2 000 000. At least, that's the figure I heard. Doesn't seem like much, huh? But it means you are most likely the most expensive thing you own.
Money aside, tell me, how does the valuing system of this world work? Let me clarify, how do we decide the value of something?
Here's how: we look at how rare or how common that item is. The rarer it is, the more valuable. The more common it is, the less valuable. That's why flawless diamonds are so expensive. They are extremely difficult to come by.
This means that you, singular, unique you, are extremely, extremely valuable. Because you don't get too much rarer than unique and singular. And you are even for difficult to come by than a flawless diamond. Heck, this planet has had to wait for as long as it's been in existence for you to come by, now it's only got you for a short time and there is absolutely no one to synthesis you the way we can with diamonds.
You are so, so precious.
3) You've got a story no-one else has. You have a life behind you, happening around you and lying in front of you such as nobody else will ever experience.
You walk a road nobody else walks and nobody else will walk. And that road is crossing and intersecting with other roads. The roads of other people and opportunities. That means that alone will be able to touch the lives of every single other person you meet. You alone will be able to affect people at that point and in that way. That's a pretty sacred and wondrous thing, don't you think?
And sure, it looks big and daunting, and the fear of what-if-I-screw-up may be very, very really, but that doesn't make you and your life any less wondrous.
4) This one is one of the most important things ever. This is the one that has stood from the beginning of Creation.
You are made in the image of God.
The image of God.
Well, sure, you say. What does that mean, you say.
What are you looking at me for? I'm only young, I don't know the whole answer. But here it is in a small, small part. A very tiny, poorly formed part.
It means you have a deep, deep capacity for compassion and love. Seriously, we're so special in that way. I've never seen an animal that is capable of the same kind of compassion and love that we are. That you are capable of. That is absolutely wonderful. And sure people may knock compassion and love as weakness, but no society can survive without it. And you have it. You have that capacity of compassion and love that, when used, keeps this world turning. Wow. Just, wow.
It also means that you have authority on this planet. You have the God-given responsibility and ability to rule this world. And I'm not talking Hitler or Stalin style domination. Heck no, that's just warped. No, I'm talking the kind of rule that cares for the welfare of this world, the authority that means you can direct the way society goes. The authority that means you can make a difference. Sure, you may not think you can, but oh, my word, you have that ability within you. And the difference you can make? My mind is just blown away by the sheer wonder of all the possibilities.
You are made in the image of God, and that is an absolutely wondrous thing.
5) This is the most important.
This is the big one.
This is the one you will need to carve into your heart, write on your hand, remember until it becomes knowledge as ingrained as breathing.
This reason leaves all the others in the dark.
Because you know how broken and incomplete you feel? How worthless and imperfect you think you are?
Well, for all that you were designed with the wondrousness and uniqueness I've been outlining, something did go wrong.
Something did break you. It made you incomplete, it made you imperfect. It had the potential to make you worthless.
That thing... well, we call it sin.
It's the human stubbornness that we know best. The mule-headed stupidity that has us saying we can run things. It's that thing inside us all that says that the One who Created this UNIVERSE is an idiot and shouldn't be allowed to, well, own what He has created. When, you know what, we really can't. And He really isn't. And He really, really should.
And you're looking at me as if I'm crazy and asking how is this supposed to show how amazing I am? Well, here it is ladies and gentlemen, here's the reason you're amazing and I'm amazing, and no matter how horrid we feel that is a truth that can never change:
You have been Chosen by this same Creator.
That's right. You heard me right.
The Creator who you have told to get stuffed has chosen you.
He. Has. Chosen. You.
Not because you deserve it.
Man, you deserve the torture chamber, all the crap you've done to Him. I do to. More than you, probably.
But He still Chose you.
He has looked at you and seen everything you have become. He knows exactly how far you are from the amazing, unique, precious and wondrous person He created you to be.
Don't think for one second you have Him fooled about that.
But He has still Chosen you.
He has still said, I want you to be My Child. I want you to call Me Abba. I want to build you a home, not on earth where everything perishes and has no lasting value, but up here, with me, where everything is eternal. Gold and diamonds? They've got no value compared to what I want to give you. Forget about them. I want to give you Eternal Life. I want to give you Joy. I want to give you Peace. I want to give you Love. I want to give you a Royal inheritance. That new prince of England? Forget about his kingdom. The Kingdom I want you to be a part of makes his look like a spec of dust.
And you know what you have to do in order to receive this wonderful incredible gift? Become this incredible, unique, wondrous person? Nothing. Nothing at all.
Just accept it. Just accept Him. Realise that He is, in fact, Creator, and that makes Him King.
Then you become everything you are meant to be: you are unique. You are precious. You are made in God's image with a depth of compassion and love and a wonderful ability to make a difference. And you are His child.
Do you believe me now when I say you're amazing?
You really are.
You are so wonderfully amazing. It blows my mind.
And you're amazing not because of who YOU are, or what YOU have done, but because of who HE is, and what HE has GIVEN to you.
Do you understand that?
Probably not. At least, not entirely. I know I don't. And I've been trying to understand it my whole life. Not that that has been very long.
It's a mystery to me. I guess I'm just going to have to learn to accept it.
Accept the Amazing Grace that has made me Amazing. Same as you are. Because you are amazing.
Please don't let anyone take that away from you.
Don't let anyone make you feel like you aren't worth it, whether it is through what they do to you or through how much you envy them.
You are amazing.
I'm so glad we've had this talk. I hope I've helped you see just how incredible you are.
Thanks for listening to me rambling at you this whole time. I just thought this was important to say.
Because, you know, we never remind each other of this enough.
God bless you,
my amazing friend,
Laura Ruth
Yeah, you. You're the one I'm talking to.
So glad you could stop and chat with me for a bit.
I just wanted to say, you're looking great today.
And I mean that.
Don't grin and roll your eyes at me.
You really do look great. I wonder if you realize just how many people that smile of yours has touched today, even if it was only a brief smile?
Yeah, yeah. I know. I know every response that brain of yours is coming up with. Believe me, I've used them all.
But trust me, your friends, and even some people you don't really know, drew some energy and joy from that smile you gave them. Such a beautiful smile. Unique to you.
And you know what? You're amazing.
Let me repeat that, because you probably don't get told it enough, and you certainly don't realize it enough.
You. Are. Amazing.
Absolutely breathtaking.
Course, you most likely don't believe that. Trust me, I know that too. I certainly have a very hard time believing it when I hear it.
After all, what's so amazing about me? Or, more pertinent to this little chat of ours, what's so amazing about you?
Well, where do I start.
Let's start here:
1) You are a wonderfully unique human being. I mean it.
I like biology. Theoretical genetics is one of my favourite topics. And you know what my understanding of theoretical genetics tells me? You are absolutely, 100% your own person. You have a genetic code that nobody else on this planet has.
I could through all those technical terms about random this and random that and crossing over at you, but all they mean is that no-one else has your genetic code. No-one else has had your genetic code.
No-one else will have your genetic code.
Unless of course, your an identical twin, in which case, you and your twin share 100% of you DNA.
But you know what, you two are still totally unique. Because who we are is so much deeper than just our genetic code.
No-one else has the same mixture of tastes you do. Nobody else listens to the same mixture of music genres or enjoys the same mixture of flavours or flowers or movies or shows or anything like that.
And your personality. Your personality is so your own. Sure you will meet people with very similar personality types, but you have a set of personality quirks which is uniquely yours.
You are so amazingly unique.
2) And do you know what being unique makes you?
It makes you precious. So very precious.
Do you know what the world's governments have said the highest they'll pay in ransom for a single person is? $2 000 000. At least, that's the figure I heard. Doesn't seem like much, huh? But it means you are most likely the most expensive thing you own.
Money aside, tell me, how does the valuing system of this world work? Let me clarify, how do we decide the value of something?
Here's how: we look at how rare or how common that item is. The rarer it is, the more valuable. The more common it is, the less valuable. That's why flawless diamonds are so expensive. They are extremely difficult to come by.
This means that you, singular, unique you, are extremely, extremely valuable. Because you don't get too much rarer than unique and singular. And you are even for difficult to come by than a flawless diamond. Heck, this planet has had to wait for as long as it's been in existence for you to come by, now it's only got you for a short time and there is absolutely no one to synthesis you the way we can with diamonds.
You are so, so precious.
3) You've got a story no-one else has. You have a life behind you, happening around you and lying in front of you such as nobody else will ever experience.
You walk a road nobody else walks and nobody else will walk. And that road is crossing and intersecting with other roads. The roads of other people and opportunities. That means that alone will be able to touch the lives of every single other person you meet. You alone will be able to affect people at that point and in that way. That's a pretty sacred and wondrous thing, don't you think?
And sure, it looks big and daunting, and the fear of what-if-I-screw-up may be very, very really, but that doesn't make you and your life any less wondrous.
4) This one is one of the most important things ever. This is the one that has stood from the beginning of Creation.
You are made in the image of God.
The image of God.
Well, sure, you say. What does that mean, you say.
What are you looking at me for? I'm only young, I don't know the whole answer. But here it is in a small, small part. A very tiny, poorly formed part.
It means you have a deep, deep capacity for compassion and love. Seriously, we're so special in that way. I've never seen an animal that is capable of the same kind of compassion and love that we are. That you are capable of. That is absolutely wonderful. And sure people may knock compassion and love as weakness, but no society can survive without it. And you have it. You have that capacity of compassion and love that, when used, keeps this world turning. Wow. Just, wow.
It also means that you have authority on this planet. You have the God-given responsibility and ability to rule this world. And I'm not talking Hitler or Stalin style domination. Heck no, that's just warped. No, I'm talking the kind of rule that cares for the welfare of this world, the authority that means you can direct the way society goes. The authority that means you can make a difference. Sure, you may not think you can, but oh, my word, you have that ability within you. And the difference you can make? My mind is just blown away by the sheer wonder of all the possibilities.
You are made in the image of God, and that is an absolutely wondrous thing.
5) This is the most important.
This is the big one.
This is the one you will need to carve into your heart, write on your hand, remember until it becomes knowledge as ingrained as breathing.
This reason leaves all the others in the dark.
Because you know how broken and incomplete you feel? How worthless and imperfect you think you are?
Well, for all that you were designed with the wondrousness and uniqueness I've been outlining, something did go wrong.
Something did break you. It made you incomplete, it made you imperfect. It had the potential to make you worthless.
That thing... well, we call it sin.
It's the human stubbornness that we know best. The mule-headed stupidity that has us saying we can run things. It's that thing inside us all that says that the One who Created this UNIVERSE is an idiot and shouldn't be allowed to, well, own what He has created. When, you know what, we really can't. And He really isn't. And He really, really should.
And you're looking at me as if I'm crazy and asking how is this supposed to show how amazing I am? Well, here it is ladies and gentlemen, here's the reason you're amazing and I'm amazing, and no matter how horrid we feel that is a truth that can never change:
You have been Chosen by this same Creator.
That's right. You heard me right.
The Creator who you have told to get stuffed has chosen you.
He. Has. Chosen. You.
Not because you deserve it.
Man, you deserve the torture chamber, all the crap you've done to Him. I do to. More than you, probably.
But He still Chose you.
He has looked at you and seen everything you have become. He knows exactly how far you are from the amazing, unique, precious and wondrous person He created you to be.
Don't think for one second you have Him fooled about that.
But He has still Chosen you.
He has still said, I want you to be My Child. I want you to call Me Abba. I want to build you a home, not on earth where everything perishes and has no lasting value, but up here, with me, where everything is eternal. Gold and diamonds? They've got no value compared to what I want to give you. Forget about them. I want to give you Eternal Life. I want to give you Joy. I want to give you Peace. I want to give you Love. I want to give you a Royal inheritance. That new prince of England? Forget about his kingdom. The Kingdom I want you to be a part of makes his look like a spec of dust.
And you know what you have to do in order to receive this wonderful incredible gift? Become this incredible, unique, wondrous person? Nothing. Nothing at all.
Just accept it. Just accept Him. Realise that He is, in fact, Creator, and that makes Him King.
Then you become everything you are meant to be: you are unique. You are precious. You are made in God's image with a depth of compassion and love and a wonderful ability to make a difference. And you are His child.
Do you believe me now when I say you're amazing?
You really are.
You are so wonderfully amazing. It blows my mind.
And you're amazing not because of who YOU are, or what YOU have done, but because of who HE is, and what HE has GIVEN to you.
Do you understand that?
Probably not. At least, not entirely. I know I don't. And I've been trying to understand it my whole life. Not that that has been very long.
It's a mystery to me. I guess I'm just going to have to learn to accept it.
Accept the Amazing Grace that has made me Amazing. Same as you are. Because you are amazing.
Please don't let anyone take that away from you.
Don't let anyone make you feel like you aren't worth it, whether it is through what they do to you or through how much you envy them.
You are amazing.
I'm so glad we've had this talk. I hope I've helped you see just how incredible you are.
Thanks for listening to me rambling at you this whole time. I just thought this was important to say.
Because, you know, we never remind each other of this enough.
God bless you,
my amazing friend,
Laura Ruth
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Gift,
Grace,
Heart Song,
Indescribable,
no words that fit,
Precious,
Priceless,
Sin,
someone else?,
Unbelievable,
Unique,
Valuable,
Wondrous
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