Tragically somewhere along the way, we’ve falsely believed the lie that if they see the real me they won’t like me, let alone love me. How did this happen? Probably because it’s happened before. We let people in and they didn’t love us anyway. Here is what I’m learning though. If we keep living in fear of being known we will keep living lonely. So what if we insert the grace of love here instead?

The Bible is full of success stories. Maybe not in the earthly way we view success, but certainly from a heavenly perspective. Hebrews 11 is one of the best synopses to summarize the lives of those who were successful in our spiritual heritage. It is often called Faith’s Hall of Fame because it celebrates the lives of those who were commended for their faith. Isn’t this what we desire? To be commended for our faith?

Sometimes we want romantic or grandiose displays of love, but I think the consistent ordinary displays are just as meaningful, if not more. These everyday gestures of love that often go unnoticed are the ones I want to be more intentional to notice. I don’t want to take them for granted.

Pulling my covers up to my chin, I stare out the cracks of my closed blinds to see the twinkling stars and soft glow of the moon. I hear the hum of our sound machine and the steady breathing of my husband beside me as I roll over yet again trying not to wake him. Everything around me is at peace except my mind. The weighted blanket on me feels like the weight of my burdens, and the clock beside me reminds me it is much past my bedtime.

I’m curious how you would fill in the “I feel like everyone is a better __________ than me” statement? I could complete it in hundreds of ways. We are so tempted to doubt our value and compare ourselves to one another, aren’t we? We look to the left and to the right and think everyone is a better wife or a better friend, has a better home or a better body, is a better employee, or is even a better Christian.