Photo: Pixabay
In a movie I recently watched titled, Seven Days in Utopia, the main character (Luke Chisolm) defined himself by his golf game. This was encouraged by his father who seemed to see no worth in his son outside of his sport. After a bad game, Luke ends up in a small town where he meets a former professional golfer (Johnny Crawford). Johnny teaches Luke several important lessons about staying centered even under tremendous pressure. At the end of Luke’s stay in this small town, Johnny instructs him to write down lies he believed and truths he learned. Johnny then tells him to bury the lies and carry the truths with him.
I thought this idea of burying lies and carrying truths was a great way to ring in the new year. Lies often hold us back or hurt us deeply. Those lies need to be buried in this past year and not carried into the new year.
Truths we learn help us get through difficult moments. We need to carry those truths with us into the new year. In this post, I am going to share 5 truths I clung to in 2019 and am carrying with me into 2020.
Nothing anyone says or does changes my worth.
We are often tempted to base our worth on how people respond to us. Basing our worth on people can leave us pretty miserable. People will not always respond in the way we expect. Their response is not always reflective on our worth in their eyes, but we feel like it is. Thankfully, our worth is not found in people’s opinions. John 3:16 is a popular verse because of the powerful truth it teaches. God loved us so much He sent His Son to die for us. Our worth is found in the price Christ paid. Because of that, we are loved. We have great worth.
It is okay to rest.
Many of us struggle with FOMO – the fear of missing out. We feel that if we rest we will miss something. FOMO can drive us to the point of burnout. We need rest. God set an example of rest when He rested from creating on the seventh day. It is okay to slow down and revamp every once in a while.
I am not self-sufficient but I am capable.
A lot of the media today encourages us to feel self-sufficient. The problem is on our own, we are not sufficient. 2 Corinthians 3:5 states:
“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.”
We are not self-sufficient. We need God and we need others to sharpen us and help us grow, but we are capable of growth.
I can let go of past hurts; what was is not what always will be.
After experiencing hurt, overcoming it can be a challenge. We fear more hurt. As a response to this fear, we often carry around our hurt like a shield. Instead of protecting ourselves, this response often causes more wounds and keeps us from moving into positive experiences. Psalms 33:20 encourages:
“Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield.”
God is the one who protects us. With his protection, we can lay down our hurts, move forward, and trust that what was is not always what will be.
I belong.
Sometimes we feel misunderstood, uninvited, or pushed to the side. Another encouraging message of God’s love is that we belong. God has a place and a purpose for us. Ephesians 2:10 tells us,
“For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
As God’s workmanship, we have a purpose. Our mission is spreading the good news of His love. In God’s kingdom we belong.
I hope you all have a very blessed New Year! 🙂
This is an affiliate link which means at no additional cost to you if you click on the link and make a purchase we will receive part of the commission.
Leave a Reply