Jenn’s Journey

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Happy Monday! I’m so glad you stopped by for a few minutes. May your day be full of blessings!

This week my daughter is Student of the Week at school. She has been anxiously awaiting her turn. Monday was her first day back after two wonderful weeks of vacation. She was dreading going back and there were a few tears that morning. When I picked her up after school, the attitude had completely changed. Excitement was written all over her as she chatted up a storm on the way home. "Mom, it's like I am King or Queen of the land!" I was nearly moved to tears by the sweet happiness she has in this important week of her life.

One of her other comments perked my ears.. "Everyone likes me now" Immediately it triggered memories of being her age and feeling very alone and 'un-liked' at school. I was an insecure child and I felt like an outsider most of my school days. I asked my daughter, "I wonder if you feel liked when you're not student of the week?" "Oh yes, Mom, I do!" Of course this eased my mother's heart but it did set me to thinking.

I've known for a long time that I looked for love and acceptance in people way too much throughout my life. It started young…and it didn't take much, even now, to trigger the fear of 'not being liked.' I made some poor choices in friends and boyfriends in my younger days for lack of self esteem. I've only recently begun to figure out who Jenn really is. I no longer want to base my feelings about myself on who/what people think I am. I want to fully understand and embrace who God sees me as and declares that I am. It's a struggle to put the focus on Him rather than on people; let me tell you!

I heard a sermon on this topic just last week. In a nutshell the point was that we as humans are obsessed with being the best. So much so that we will often sacrifice who we are to do so, and that as Christians, we are called for much more than that.  God did not make me, or you, to base our self-worth on whether other humans love us or not. Is human love important? Of course it is. It's one of the special things about life on earth...it's just not THE most important thing.

Ephesians 2:10 says:"For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago."  I am a masterpiece. You are a masterpiece. How can this not change how we see ourselves? With Jesus, we can do and be good things...no matter the messages we've gotten from other humans.

I want 2016 to be the year I embrace who God says I am and be who He created me to be as an individual. In His eyes, I am the best 'Jenn'.

Until next week, be blessed,

Jenn