A few weeks ago we had a team building activity at work. It was inspired by my good friend Jodi. One night she wrote down all of the things that she wanted and I was blown away at what she had written. The majority of the items that she wrote were not of monetary value, but of establishing a better relationship with the Lord and bettering herself. For ten minutes we sat and wrote what each of us "wanted." Usually I wouldn't think twice about what I had written, but this time was different, I went home that night anf wrote my list in my jouranl and this is what I came up with....
I want to....
Hear that I am appreciated and loved daily
Love who I am
Feel loved
Be mentally and emotionally healthy again
Have NO more jealousy
Be able to spend more time with my family
Play with Keaton and Andrew every day
Go to the movies
Be a better friend
Not be controlled by my addictions
To wake up and have no worries
Be a better listener
Become a better Christian
Not worry about money
Get married and have kids
Start my own business
To travel through Eurpoe
Go to Wimbledon
Get back to the Temple
Read my scriptures everyday
These are just a few of the things that I "want." What are some of the things that you want and truly need? Please share them and feel completely comfortable in doing so. As I began putting things into writing, they are more real to me and each one of these "wants" gives me something to work towards.
Friday, September 14, 2007
I want.....
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2 comments:
I have this book called, "The Power of a Praying Parent" and in it is a chapter about praying that your children feel loved and accepted. I think it is what everyone needs most of
all - to silence the lies and receive and accept God's unconditional
love and acceptance...here is what Stormie wrote in this chapter...
One of the difficult things that children (and adults) must deal with
are the lies that can come into their minds masquerading as truth:
"I'm not appreciated," "I'm not attractive," "I'm not good enough,"
"I'm too this or too that...". These lies escalate as children, move
into their teenage years and often are carried into adulthood. That's
why I'm convinced that it's never too late or too soon to start
praying for a child (or friend) to feel loved and accepted – first by
God, then by family, then by peers and others. We can start when they
are babies, or whatever age your child is at this moment, and pray
about this concern throughout their lives.
The opposite of being loved and accepted is being rejected –
something we've all experienced at one time or another in our lives.
Who among us has never felt embarrassment, humiliation, failure,
fault, or someone's disapproval over something we've done? Whether it
be by a family member, a friend, or a complete stranger, rejection
happens to all of us. Some people can let such incidents roll off
their backs, because they know, deep within, that they are accepted.
Others, however, may bear deep emotional wounds from incident after
incident of rejections, so any perceived lack of acceptance can
transform their personalities into something ugly. That's why
rejection is at the root of so much of the evil we read about in the
newspapers every day. A rejected worker goes back to his former place
of employment and shoots his boss and co-workers. A mother who has
been rejected by others abuses her child. Rejection brings out the
worst in people. Love and acceptance bring out the best. A person
who already feels rejected interprets everything as rejection – a
mere look, a harmless word, an insignificant action – while someone
who feels loved and accepted things nothing of the same look, word or
action. A person may not actually be rejected, but if she believes
she is, the effect is just as damaging as if it were true.
The love of God, however, can change all this. Knowing that God loves
and accepts us changes our lives. He says, " I have chosen you and
not cast you away" (Isaiah 41:9). "I have loved you with an
everlasting love" (Jeremiah. 31:3). And He proves His love because
"God demonstrates His own love towards us, in a that while we were
still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). On top of that , the
Bible assures us that "neither death not life, nor angels nor
principalities nor powers, not things present nor things to come, nor
height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to
separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord
(Romans 8:38-39).
We must pray that our children understand these truths; they are the
solid ground upon which love and acceptance are established in their
character.
Even though it is God's love that is ultimately most inmportatnt in
anyone's life, a parent's love (or lack thereof) is perceived and
felt first. Parental love is the first love a child experiences and
the first love she understands. In fact, parental love is often the
means by which children actually open themselves to God's love and
come to understand it early in life.. That's why from the time our
children are born, we should pray, "God help me to really love my
child the way You want me to and teach me how to show it in a way he
(she) can understand." If, however, your child is now older and you
realize for one reason or another that he (she) doesn't feel loved,
you can begin right now asking God to penetrate his (her) heart with
His love and open it to receive your love and the love of others.
Ask God to show you what you can do to communicate love to your child
– and don't listen to the devil weighing you down with guilt about
past failure. You know his tactics:
"Your child doesn't feel loved because you're a terrible parent.:
"If you weren't so dysfunctional you'd be able to communicate love to
your child."
"No one ever loved you, so how can you love anyone else?"
These are lies from the pit of hell and part of Satan's plan for your
child's life.
If you are being tormented by guilt or feelings of failure in this
area, confess your thoughts to God, pray about it, put in God's
hands, and then stand up and proclaim truth. Say, "God loves my
child. I love my child. Other people love my child. .If my child
doesn't feel loved it's because she has believed the lies of the
enemy. We refuse to live according to Satan's lies." Although you may
have to persist for a while on this, don't five up resisting the
devil's lies by speaking God's truth. then pray for God's love to
penetrate your child's heart, as well as for your love to be
perceived and received.
Along with prayer, children need to see love manifested toward them
with eye contact, physical touch, and with loving acts, deeds, and
words. I found that when I made a deliberate effort to look my
children directly in the eye with my hands gently touching them and
with a smile say, "I love you and I think you're great," I could
always see an immediate and noticeable change in their face and
demeanor. Try it and you'll see what I mean. It may feel awkward at
first if you've never done it before, or if your child is older or
even an adult, but go ahead and do it anyway. IF you are hesitant,
pray that God will enable you to do it and that it will be well
received.
If you feel you don't have the love you need to give your child, ask
the Holy Spirit for it. The Bible says, "The love of God has been
poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to
us" (Romans 5:5). One of God's main purposes for your life is to fill
you with so much of His love that it overflows onto others. Praying
for your child will not only be a sign of that love in your heart, it
could also be the very means by which that love is multiplied to
overflowing.
JQ, there is a prayer at the end of the chapter that you are to pray for your children, and just like the day that I read it when praying for Blake, I kept putting people's names in it that I knew God wanted the prayer said for them as well. I am going to pray it for you right now. . .
Lord, I pray for Justin to feel loved and accepted. Penetrate his heart with your love right now and help him to fully understand how far-reaching and complete it is. Your Word says You loved us so much that You send Your Son to die for us (John 3:16). Deliver Justin from any lies of the enemy that may have been planted in his mind to cause him to doubt that. Jesus said, "As the Father loves Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love" (John 15:9-10). Lord, help Justin to abide in Your love. May he say as David did, "Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, for in You do I trust" (Psalm 143:8). Manifest Your love to him in a real way today and help him to receive it.
I pray also that you would help me to know how to love JQ unconditionally the way You do, and enable me to show that love in a manner that he can perceive. Reveal to me how I can demonstrate and model Your love to him so that it will be clearly understood. I pray that all of JQ's friends and family members will love and accept him, and may he find favor with other people as well. With each day that he grows in confidence of being loved and accepted, release in him the capacity to easily communicate love to others. Enable him to reach out in love that is needed and appropriate. As he comes to fully understand the depth of Your love for him and receives in into his soul, make him a vessel through which Your love flows to others.. In Jesus' awesome name I pray, AMEN!
We have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. (1 John 4:16)
Bless you and all that you are working to accomplish, this day, JQ!
love,
*j
Jodi,
Thank you SO MUCH!!!!! It was so exciting to see someone left me a post over the weekend! I still have alot of work to do, but that is the joy of it! Thank you so much for bieng such an inspiration to me and for all of your support! You are truly an amazing person and I pray for you also! I had no idea that you and your family were going through all of that stuff that you told us about at ffl on Friday! You keep a very positive outlook and I admire you for that! Thanks again for the prayer and advice! Have the best day ever and we can't wait to see you again!!!!
Love JQ
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