Negative voices piercing me, backing me into a corner, knocking the wind out of my sails. Satan worked furiously this summer to bring to my remembrance voices and actions from past abuse, slander, and hurts that tell me I’m not enough and I will never be enough.
It’s hard to keep fighting sometimes, isn’t it? To not believe lies that are so rooted in us? To reach for and cling to our identity in Christ Jesus who tells us we will always be enough in Him?
Also this summer, I visited a new pulmonologist, and I was so thrilled that I didn’t get a bronchial infection for two months. Thank You, God! Surely He must be blessing the new treatment…
Bang! Those hopes deflated like a popped balloon. A chronic bronchitis bout hit me extra hard throughout August. Thrown into a tizzy again, I questioned God’s wisdom… Why, God?
It can be so hard to surrender our plans into His, can’t it?
I began to feel even more useless, and I fell headlong into the comparison trap. I was so envious of other people’s energy and how much God uses them. Defeated and drained of energy, physically and emotionally, it was hard to fight that “poor me” syndrome.
God so often rescues me from my selfishness and despondency. I’m baffled at His endless patience with me.
A blogging friend shared a new book that was exactly what God knew I needed. The first devotion was headed by a verse that God has often used to give me strength to refute those condemning lies. A verse I’ve been forgetting to take to heart lately…
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation
for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Romans 8:1
As I read on, the second devotion sent a soothing balm to my troubled soul as I read how sickness and exhaustion never diminishes the work of God in our lives. Each of us has an inherent value as an image-bearer of God Himself. (Always Enough, Never Too Much: 100 Devotions to Quit Comparing, Stop Hiding, and Start Living Wild and Free)
You, too, have inherent value, deeply rooted in our Creator who fashioned us after His own image. No matter what you’re going through or what anyone says of you, God never condemns you. If negative thoughts are condemning us, it’s not coming from our Savior who has borne all condemnation for us so we can be set free.
Rather than condemning us, He opens His arms wide and invites us into His cleansing grace when we mess up or fail, His strength when we are weak and helpless, and His healing love when we are broken and afraid.
No, we will never be enough in ourselves, will we? We so desperately need Jesus to fill our emptiness. We need Him to breathe strength, hope, and life into our souls each and every moment.
“For it was You who created my inward parts;
You knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I will praise You
because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made.
Your works are wonderful,
and I know this very well.”
Psalm 139:13-14
The Lord willing, I will continue to post every Tuesday. However, I am still wrestling with balance. I need to put less pressure on myself here. If there are other needs pressing me or overwhelming me, whether in my family, around me, or otherwise, I need to let go and tell myself it’s ok if I post something shorter or don’t post at all.
But please know that whether or not I post, you’re always welcome to share your heart in the comments of any blog post or through my email. I would love to pray for you and with you. Above all, remember God is available 24/7. There is no better place for us to go with our hurts than to Him and His loving and compassionate heart. May He fill you with His love and hope!
How was your summer?
Did deep hurts sometimes feel like they would consume you?
Is there a Bible verse/promise that fills you with hope?
Please feel free to share your thoughts!
“YOU SAY”
by Lauren Daigle
“I keep fighting voices in my mind that say I’m not enough
Every single lie that tells me I will never measure up
Am I more than just the sum of every high and every low?
Remind me once again just who I am, because I need to know
You say I am loved when I can’t feel a thing
You say I am strong when I think I am weak
You say I am held when I am falling short
When I don’t belong, oh You say that I am Yours
And I believe, oh I believe
What You say of me
I believe…”
Freed to Fly 
I so missed your “voice” over the summer, Trudy, and am glad you are back to blogging again! So sorry to hear about your struggle with health issues, but you’ve certainly chosen the high road, leaning upon God to get you through it all. I will definitely be keeping you in my prayers!
Blessings, my friend!
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Thank you, Martha. It’s not always easy to lean upon God, is it? But it truly is the best place to be! I hope your mom is doing better. Blessings to you, too! May we let go of our own plans and lean upon God’s plan for us!
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Thank you for asking about my Mom – she is doing remarkably well, driving, shopping, you name it! God certainly showed us great mercy in this.
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I’m so glad she is doing so much better, Martha. Yes, great mercy! ❤️
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Dear Trudy,
I am so sorry for the difficulties you faced this summer; I understand how those disappointments can bring such a setback! Your words are such a comfort as I too have had to bring my own questions to God. He really does meet us right in the middle of them, doesn’t He? I have had you in my thoughts, as I’ve missed your voice here. You bring such hope when you share what the Lord has shown you. This touched me so much today: “Rather than condemning us, He opens His arms wide and invites us into His cleansing grace when we mess up or fail, His strength when we are weak and helpless, and His healing love when we are broken and afraid.” May you know what a blessing you are, dear friend! You remain in my prayers as you follow God’s prompting to gently begin blogging again! Much love and blessings to you! xoxo
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Thank you for your prayers and kind words, Bettie. You have been in my thoughts and prayers as well. Yes, God truly does meet us right in the middle of our questions. His grace, love, and strength are never failing, aren’t they? I’m amazed how patient He is with me. I so easily want to grasp hold of my own plans time and again instead of letting go and trusting His plans are always best and for our good. Much love and blessings to you, too! May we continually flee into His open arms of grace, love, and strength!
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Trudy, it is lovely to see you posting here again. I’ve missed your words over the summer, but I also totally understand your need for balance and want you to know that it’s absolutely fine to post when you want to and feel able and not to feel under any pressure.
I’m sorry you’ve had such a tough time, both physically and emotionally, over the summer. I’m glad you found that book that reminded you of the truth that you are loved and valued. Praying that you continue to know that- not just in your head, but deep in your heart.
I love the Lauren Daigle song you shared- I was listening to that this morning!
Love and hugs to you!
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Thank you, Lesley, for your compassion and prayers. Yes, we so need to know the truth that we are loved and valued deep in our hearts, don’t we? Sometimes it can be a painful, continuing process to get from our heads to our hearts, right? Thanks to God’s bottomless grace, it is possible. Love and hugs to you, too! May we continue fighting those lying voices in our heads and open the deepest parts of our hearts to who we really are in Christ Jesus!
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Hi, Trudy. I’m so glad you posted this; it was a very timely message for me as I’ve been feeling a bit overwhelmed by various circumstances in my life. Thanks for reminding me that God is truly big enough to handle everything on my plate. I’ll keep your health struggles in my prayers and hope that you’ll feel better soon. Blessings to you!
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Oh Liz, I am so grateful this has helped you to remember God is truly big enough to handle everything on your plate. Thank you for your prayers. I pray God will give you His strength and sufficient grace to carry you through whatever lies ahead of you. May we fix our hearts on our Almighty God who can breathe hope and life into any circumstance that overwhelms us!
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Trudy! It was so nice to see your post pop up in my inbox this morning … I’ve thought of you often this summer (even though I was bad about returning emails). I’m sorry to hear about your health setback last month … that must have been so disappointing after two months of feeling better. I’m all for taking each week of blogging as it comes and only doing what you can … I’ve gotten a little practice at that this summer and it was so much better than putting pressure on myself all the time. I will love hearing from you when you are able to post, and on those weeks when you can’t, I’ll look forward to your next post! I love the message of the song you shared … What God says about us is the only thing that truly matters, isn’t it? Hugs, friend!
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Thank you for your continuing understanding and encouragement, Lois. Yes, what God says of us is the only thing that matters! I found that song this summer, and it really encouraged me, too. Hugs back to you! May we cling to who we are in Jesus through all the deep and dark valleys in this journey of life!
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Awww, sweet Trudy. I was so happy to see your post come up in my inbox. 🙂 And no worries, there’s no pressure from this end of the blogosphere.
You know your words here reflect my heart. The remembering who we are in Christ, and not letting the enemy’s insidious lies dig deeper into our hearts. When I fall into those dark places, I have to remember what you said here:
“God so often rescues me from my selfishness and despondency. I’m baffled at His endless patience with me.” I’m with you. Amazed at God’s patience and grace toward me.
I’m praying for you as you navigate your health issues, and as you continue to renew your mind in Christ Jesus.
Sending you a hug and some prayers, my friend.
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Thank you for always being so encouraging, Jeanne. And for your prayers and hugs! 🙂 Yes, God’s patience and grace towards us is sooo amazing! He is so faithful towards us, even when we are filled with doubt and distrust. May we keep letting go of our plan and surrendering to His plan and trust His way is perfect!
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Oh, Trudy… the most important thing here is that you remain healthy and of course, your family comes first! We will be here when you are… and totally understand when you can’t be here. We love you and pray for God’s continued strength and healing for you! ❤ and huge hugs!! ❤ ❤
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Thank you for your support and understanding, Lynn. Your prayers are appreciated. As are your huge hugs. 🙂 Back at you! I missed some of your posts this summer, but I usually at least looked at your paintings. They always send peace to my soul. 🙂 I love your post this week about sitting with Abba. I’m in with your pact of setting aside time each day to recharge with Jesus. 🙂 May we together spend more time with Him, opening our hearts to His life-recharging love!
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I’ve missed reading your posts this summer; so sorry to read about your bronchitis 😦 But whether you write or not, know you are always in my prayers! HUGS!! ❤
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Thank you for keeping me in your prayers, Jennifer. That means a lot. Also your hugs. And I send them to you, too. 🙂 I didn’t always comment, but I loved the photos of your puppies. They grew so fast. You must really miss them when they’re gone. If I remember right, you kept one of them. I’m sorry about all your struggles, too, and I pray God will strengthen you through them all. May we cling to our hope and strength in Jesus!
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Yes, I kept a puppy; her name is “Vee” shortened from her registered name: Jema’s Journey of Vim, Vigor & Valor. All things I want for a show dog but also for my life too. And for you also ❤
The puppies were a positive in my summer not knowing what the future might hold and seeing them so well adapted in their new homes now warms my heart ❤ I know they are well loved which makes me very happy! 🙂
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I love what Vee stands for. Thank you for wanting it for me, too! 🙂 Vee is blessed to have you, Jennifer. I love how much you care for your animals. 🙂
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It’s so good to read your words, Trudy! Thank you for pointing us back to Jesus in whom we find our true identity. It is so easy to get caught in the lies of not enough, not worthy, not loved, that the enemy loves to whisper to us. Your honesty and vulnerability always encourages me. I love that you posted Psalm 139:13-14. Those are my life verses. Plus you shared Lauren Daigle’s new song, You Say- my new favorite. Blessings and hugs sweet friend!
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I’m so glad you were encouraged, Mary. Yes, it’s so easy to get caught up in those lies. To remember we are remarkably and wonderfully made certainly helps, doesn’t it? I love Lauren’s new song, too. It is sooo encouraging! Blessings and hugs to you, too! May we grasp onto and cling to who God says we are!
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Oh lovely lady, how good to see you again! I can only encourage you to write when you’d like and not to feel any compulsion to stick with some kind of schedule. Please take the pressure off yourself … and go with the flow. Over time I’ve gotten more at ease with coming and going with my own blog and feel the need to be present on line much less.
Praying that you’ll give yourself all the grace He’s given you!
ox
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Thank you for your encouragement, Linda. It’s hard for me to get rid of that compulsion to stick to some kind of schedule, but I’ll keep trying to take the pressure off myself. 🙂 Thank you for praying! He certainly does give us grace and more grace, doesn’t He? OX to you, too! May He fill us with His grace, love, and hope!
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Hi Trudy, a belated welcome back! I love the bright new (to me?) look and the honesty in your words. They sing in my soul with their searing openness, especially these: “I fell headlong into the comparison trap. I was so envious of other people’s energy and how much God uses them. Defeated and drained of energy, physically and emotionally, it was hard to fight that “poor me” syndrome.”
Oh how I can identify with those horrible, negative, energy sapping thoughts! I’ve got a draft post on that topic to share when time is ripe. It’s so hard to pull back from blogging and not have some concern about how much others are doing or worry about the prospect of returning, isn’t it?
I hope you can be reassured that your words, be they many or few, will be warmly welcomed. You have a lovely, engaged audience here and have made many online friends, and that’s something to treasure.
May we both learn to go with the flow and only post when time is right. And may we also recognise how to overcome those negative feelings and thoughts as we rest in being more than enough in God’s loving eyes and heart. Blessings, love and hugs to you, dear friend! xo ❤
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Thank you, Joy. Blessings, love, and hugs to you, too! I know you truly understand those energy-draining negative thoughts. May we more and more rest in Jesus and our identity in Him, not in what the enemy tries to discourage us with!
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