C’mon, admit it. We’ve
all had those dragging and dreary sorts of days when we convince ourselves that
no one likes us.
Maybe we take
someone’s offhanded comment too personally and seriously. Perhaps we think a
person we admire has ignored us. Possibly, we face a failure or setback of some
sort.
And down we fall,
spiraling into the proverbial pity pit.
What’s the
cure?
The trust really
does set us free – particularly in times of testing. The Scriptures abound with
promises of the Lord’s undying love.
Here are a
few favorite and familiar Bible verses about God’s love for us.
But God commendeth his love toward
us,
in that, while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8 KJV)
Behold, what manner of love
the Father hath bestowed upon us,
that we should be called the sons of
God.
(1 John 3:1a, KJV)
For I am
convinced that neither death nor life,
neither angels
nor demons,
neither the
present nor the future,
nor any powers,
neither height
nor depth,
nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to
separate us from the love of God
that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
(Romans
8:38-39, NIV)
But what
about the love of others?
Sometimes we just
need a few reminders that we matter.
Everyone knows that
feeling. We sense it when we wallow. Sure, we know God loves us. We may even
recognize that one or two others do as well. But we stop there.
We sing the blues,
just like B.B. King in “Nobody Loves Me, But My Mother.”
.
.
Know what
I do?
I have a
festive-looking gift box on the shelf of my office, which is filled with sweet
cards and notes I’ve received over the years. Whenever someone special sends me
a thoughtful thank-you letter, a complimentary card, or a particularly poignant
poem or note, I place it in the box.
Believe it or not,
this box nearly overflows with uplifting goodies, penned on papers of all
sorts. I have “atta-girl” letters on corporate letterheads, newsprint clippings
of published letters, and tons of handwritten gems.
When I start to
feel as if my heart needs a boost, I look to the Bible, God’s love letter. If I
need a reminder of human affection or appreciation, I pull out my goody box and
start poring over my collected treasures.
And it works! These
little notes and cards are like hugs on paper.
They can be revisited and redeemed repeatedly, even long after those who
wrote down their life-giving words are gone.
Here’s
another reason I’m thankful today.
Besides, our whole
family was blessed this morning with the arrival of an adorable new baby girl,
born to one of my nephews. She’s strong and sweet and healthy and hardy,
weighing in at 7 pounds, 13 ounces. She’s 20.5 inches long and sports a full
head of hair.
What a cutie.
Welcome, little one. We are all so glad you joined us!
I’m thankful for nice notes … and new nieces!
Besides, God loves
me … even in those down-in-the-dumps moments, when it doesn’t seem anyone does.
In fact, I’m one of
his favorites.
His banner over me is love.
(Song of Songs 2:4b NIV)
Guess what! So are you!
For what
are you thankful?
Image/s:
Two Friends
Stock.xchng Photos
Raggedy Ann Doll
Thankful at Thanksgiving
Adapted from public domain
artwork
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- Top 10 Bible Verses for Birthday Cards and Greetings
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