I think it’s fair to argue that most people want to be liked. No one walks into a room full of people you’ve never met and thinks to themselves, “gosh I hope no one likes me here”. Often it’s the opposite- the anxiety sets in as you pray that you don’t totally embarrass yourself and that you leave with a few more friends. At least, that’s true for me- I walk into a room and I want people to like me. But, the bitter truth is that not everyone is going to like me, and not everyone is going to like you. Truth is sometimes that friend group won’t let me in their circle, the boy won’t like me back, and someone will groan when they hear they have to work with me.
There is always gonna be a weed in your field of flowers. That weed can take many forms, sometimes the weed of discontentment when things aren’t going your way, the weed of sadness trying to take away your joy, or sometimes that weed is the one person who doesn’t like you in the room. Weeds by biological meaning are any wild plant growing where it is not wanted and in competition with cultivated plants. By my definition a weed is a soul sucking plant that steals all of the good stuff from other plants and prevents them from growing and prospering.
I've said this before, but none of us are good enough for this world or good enough for anybody. I am not good enough of a writer to publish inconsistently (oops) on this blog. I am not pretty enough when I line myself up to all the girls in my grade. I am not kind enough to always say the right thing. I am not enough to be liked by everyone in the room. But, the joy in Christ is that we are enough for Him. We are 100% enough for Him. The truth is God is our flower and this world is our weed if we let it be. The lies Satan whispers to us are the weeds in our field and the truths we remember in Christ are the flowers.
Choose joy has been my anthem for quite sometime, and in fact it is the basis I created this blog on. Joy in Jesus is such a simple message, but when you try to live it, you realize how much the world will try and distract you from living joyfully in Christ. I am not going to say here that you can kill all the weeds easily, just by opening your bible and praying (but that's definitely a start!). Sometimes killing the weeds that have grown stronger rooted in lies you've believed your whole life are really hard to kill. It can be a journey to replace the lies in your garden with the fruitful truths that blossom into the flowers.
Here are just a few weeds you can begin to replace with truth:
I am not pretty enough:
"O my love, you are altogether beautiful and fair. There is no flaw nor blemish in you." - Solomon 4:7
This is posted above my bed as a constant reminder that beauty isn't based on the standard of this world. Last weekend I hiked up to a beautiful waterfall in the Olympic mountains, and stared in awe of God's beauty he created through nature. The same God who created rainbows, waterfalls, and ice blue lakes created you in His image.
I am not good enough to be loved:
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” -Romans 5:8
The gospel plain and simple: Jesus loved us enough to die on the cross to ensure our salvation. Is there any greater love?
My story isn't enough:
"I was made a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace that was given to me by the working of his power." - Ephesians 3:7
Whatever your story, no matter how messy or simple, God can use it if you give it to Him to build His kingdom. No one's story is perfect and there's no such thing as the "right testimony". If you give the glory to God and give speak truth about an event, God can use that testimony is ways you never expected.
I don't know what your weed is right now. I don't know what you're walking through, what you're facing, and the heartache you may be going through. All I can say is that I know confidently that you are enough in the eyes of the Lord. And if you let that be the loudest truth in your life, you can flourish in the sunlight that is hope in Christ.
I've said this before, but none of us are good enough for this world or good enough for anybody. I am not good enough of a writer to publish inconsistently (oops) on this blog. I am not pretty enough when I line myself up to all the girls in my grade. I am not kind enough to always say the right thing. I am not enough to be liked by everyone in the room. But, the joy in Christ is that we are enough for Him. We are 100% enough for Him. The truth is God is our flower and this world is our weed if we let it be. The lies Satan whispers to us are the weeds in our field and the truths we remember in Christ are the flowers.
Choose joy has been my anthem for quite sometime, and in fact it is the basis I created this blog on. Joy in Jesus is such a simple message, but when you try to live it, you realize how much the world will try and distract you from living joyfully in Christ. I am not going to say here that you can kill all the weeds easily, just by opening your bible and praying (but that's definitely a start!). Sometimes killing the weeds that have grown stronger rooted in lies you've believed your whole life are really hard to kill. It can be a journey to replace the lies in your garden with the fruitful truths that blossom into the flowers.
Here are just a few weeds you can begin to replace with truth:
I am not pretty enough:
"O my love, you are altogether beautiful and fair. There is no flaw nor blemish in you." - Solomon 4:7
This is posted above my bed as a constant reminder that beauty isn't based on the standard of this world. Last weekend I hiked up to a beautiful waterfall in the Olympic mountains, and stared in awe of God's beauty he created through nature. The same God who created rainbows, waterfalls, and ice blue lakes created you in His image.
I am not good enough to be loved:
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” -Romans 5:8
The gospel plain and simple: Jesus loved us enough to die on the cross to ensure our salvation. Is there any greater love?
My story isn't enough:
"I was made a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace that was given to me by the working of his power." - Ephesians 3:7
Whatever your story, no matter how messy or simple, God can use it if you give it to Him to build His kingdom. No one's story is perfect and there's no such thing as the "right testimony". If you give the glory to God and give speak truth about an event, God can use that testimony is ways you never expected.
I don't know what your weed is right now. I don't know what you're walking through, what you're facing, and the heartache you may be going through. All I can say is that I know confidently that you are enough in the eyes of the Lord. And if you let that be the loudest truth in your life, you can flourish in the sunlight that is hope in Christ.
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