If you have been hurt, neglected, rejected, or abandoned by your father, it may feel like every aspect of your life is affected by that broken trust–even your relationship with God. But there is hope. Your father wounds do not have the last word in your life; God does.
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:12-13). While Jesus doesn’t intend for us to die for our friends in a literal sense, He does intend for us to lay aside our own selfish desires and put the needs of others first. This may mean sacrificing your sleep, resources, tastebuds, comfort, wish list, hobbies, timeline, likes, dislikes, recognition, rewards, or other things you might find hard to give up. The key is learning to value others’ interests more than our own. Such love reminds me of our Savior, who not only taught the concept but demonstrated it.
While most of us don’t want to admit it, we crave attention. Our social media–obsessed society is proof that people everywhere want to be seen. But this self-promoting system leaves many women feeling overlooked. In today’s episode, Whitney Akin chats about her book Overlooked where she discovered how the human need for attention and approval is God’s intentional design and encourages you to live seen by the God who loves you.
The mustard seed is one of the tiniest seeds found in the Middle East, yet it is a fast-growing annual herb that grows up to ten feet tall in just a few short months. While Jesus used this parable to show his kingdom appeared to have small beginnings, it would grow into a worldwide community of believers.
Aren’t we tempted to quit when things get hard or uncomfortable? I wonder how many times in our lives we would have realized our dream, the desire of our hearts, or the call on our lives if we had pushed through just a little longer.