Leftovers

But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour.-Matthew 9:22

Outside of your subliminal cries for help, you're what some would consider a normal person. Yes, you enjoy the finer things in life and when you don't get them, the world (as far as you're concerned) is coming to an end. You have to have people in your ear telling you how fantastic and wonderful you are because without their compliments, the insecurities inside of you tell the tale. Your insecurities say that you're afraid of anything that you can't see coming head on. Your insecurities say that the girl inside of you is desperate for attention. Your insecurities say that you were devastated by the lack of love that you felt just three days ago, and your story says you're broken.

Sometimes all we want to know is that we matter and that we're important to someone. Every now and then we look to hear that someone appreciates us for who we are and that we're accepted regardless and in spite of our flaws. We look to hear how great we are and how much we mean to others. For one day we want someone to tell us that our sacrifices are worth it, and that giving up is not an option because we make a difference in their life.

At times we search for gratification in the wrong places. We cover our insecurities with material things to validate us. Wanting to escape the flaws in the mirror by masking them. Not realizing that no amount of Instagram picture likes, Twitter followers, or Facebook friends could come together and even begin to compare to that feeling you get when reality sets in and you realize that you're loved.

Whether the goal is to make a difference, influence change, be famous, relevant, popular, critically acclaimed, respected, unparalleled, or anything of that sort; the bottom-line is that you want to matter to someone outside of yourself. You want to know that you found and mastered your craft and lived life to the best of your ability. Material things will never be able to fill a void in our heart. Abundance and plenty won't always mean joy and happiness.

The problem is we're moving too fast. We want things on our own time and we're not willing to wait for the promises of God to be fulfilled in our lives because we want everything, "right now." We see the things that others have and suddenly expect God to adapt his plan for our lives accordingly. We over complicate life's simplicities. We over do and over look too much. We ask God for things and have our heart set on how he's going to deliver the answer to our prayers, and take offense when his solution doesn't coincide with our imagination.

If we knew what the future really required of us, we'd never get up in the morning. If God gave us what we said we wanted, we would hold on to fear, and never trust him holding on to the things that we saw that we did not like because of our obsession with our imperfections. We're determined to complain. In fact, we've committed ourselves to the ministry of pessimism and wonder why those around us reflect negativity and discontent with self.

Broken puzzle pieces don't mix well. It only complicates the completion of the picture because it becomes difficult to determine which pieces belong to which puzzle. The solution to being delivered from low self-esteem, the desire for instant gratification, and anything else for that matter, is Jesus. He's the only one capable of making you whole through the renewing of your mind. When we try to control every aspect of our lives and when we attempt to police things that are beyond our control we wind up exhausted and stuck in the same situation that we were in beforehand. When we try to solve all of our problems on our own in an attempt to prove that we are more than capable of delivering ourselves, things fall apart. When we rely on everyone but Jesus, the ground around us becomes like sinking sand and we begin to feel helpless and hopeless. Fortunately, Christ died for the inner-me (and the inner-you) that we might receive deliverance from self and be about God's business sharing his love, peace, joy, and message of salvation with everyone that we may come in contact with.

There's more to life than chocolate candy, teddy bears, paper hearts, balloons, and gifts. What God has for you is worth so much more. Faith will open doors, long suffering will bring opportunities, love will bring good company, peace will perfect your character, and patience will virtuously make manifest the mighty move of God taking place in your life even now. The more you take time to get to know God, the more you learn about yourself and the more the pieces of the puzzle will begin to come together.

Let us bow:

Oh lord our Heavenly Father,

It is with gratitude that we thank you for the moves that you're making in our lives. We ask that you keep us in the palm of your hand that we might stay in your will walking in the way that you would have us to go. Teach us to be patient and to consider the fact that even when it doesn't look like things are coming together you're working on our behalf. Help us, that we might continue to put you first and acknowledge you above all things. Guide us in a way such that we may be an example for others to follow. We honor you Lord and the sacrifices that you made by sacrificing your son Jesus Christ that we might have an opportunity to receive the gift of salvation. We love you and we honor you for it is in the name of the Christ we pray, Amen!