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 wondrously made. Your works are wondrous, and I know this very well. [Psalm 139:13-14 (CSB)]
Today’s socks tell me, “I am perfectly made” and remind me of Psalm 139’s affirmation that, “I have been remarkably and wondrously made.” All of my low-cut athletic socks have pithy affirmations woven into the toes. Depending on what pair I choose, I’m reminded that I have hope or that I’m loved, brave, strong, grateful, kind, powerful, blessed, or thankful. My favorite pair, however, tell me, “I am with you always!” It may seem silly, but there are times, especially during difficult days, when I recall the day’s affirmation on my feet and I stand a little more assuredly.
What we say to others matters, but what we say to ourselves matters even more! The way we speak to ourselves determines how we relate to everything and everyone else! Affirmations replace the negative talk we hear from others as well as the trash talk we say to ourselves! Shifting our minds toward the positive can change the direction we’re taking and lead us to a better destination!
I thought of my socks during church last week when the soloist sang Megan Woods’ lovely song, “The Truth.” The song opened with the sad words, “How many times can you hear the same lie before you start to believe it? The enemy keeps whisperin’ to me… Lord, I don’t wanna listen to the lies anymore.” The negative words we hear our heads are gifts from the enemy—Satan, the Father of lies. He might say that we’re not pretty enough, capable enough, or good enough. He’ll whisper that we’re too young, too old, too fat, too skinny, too tall, or too short. His words tell us we can’t when we can and we shouldn’t when we should. When we pray, he murmurs that God’s not there. Telling us we’re worthless sinners, he claims our past defines us, we don’t deserve happiness, and that we’re unworthy, unlovable, and unforgiveable! The enemy with his lies is camping out rent-free in our heads and his scorn, disparagement, and belittling can make quite a ruckus in there.
Our best defense against the enemy’s lies is keeping God’s truth in our hearts! While my affirmation socks can be found on Amazon, the God’s truth is found in the pages of our Bibles! It is filled with affirmations of who we are in Christ. Instead of socks telling us we are loved or have hope, we have Jeremiah 31:3 telling us that God loves us with an everlasting love and Psalm 62:5 telling us our hope comes from God! While my socks may say I’m strong, Romans 8:37 tells us we’re more than conquerors through Christ! When the enemy tries to take up residence in our minds, let’s remember that Scripture tells us we can stand against his schemes because we’re clothed in the armor of God (Eph 6:11). Our socks don’t need to say, “I am with you always,” because God promised He will never leave nor abandon us (Deut 31:6). God’s word reassures us that we have the peace of God guarding our hearts and minds. (Phil 4:7)
The Bible tells us truth—we are God’s beloved children! He lived and died for us! Never forget that we are God’s workmanship and God doesn’t make junk! Indeed, we are “remarkably and wondrously made.”
The truth is I am my Father’s child
I make Him proud and I make Him smile
I was made in the image of a perfect King
He looks at me and wouldn’t change a thing
The truth is I am truly loved
By a God who’s good when I’m not good enough
I don’t belong to the lies, I belong to You
And that’s the truth!
[Jeff Pardo/Matthew West/Megan Woods]
After being asked, “How different would the world look if everyone got what they deserved?” I started wondering. Even as a child, I knew people didn’t get what they deserved. When I was ten, I watched on television as nine black students tried to enroll in an all-white school in Little Rock, Arkansas; they were blocked by the National Guard and an angry mob of 400 angry whites. Two years earlier, on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white woman. I grew up in Detroit and, while discrimination and segregation were more subtle than in the South, it existed. I lived in a large home with a big yard on a tree-lined street but any bus trip “downtown” told me that the people of color didn’t live in neighborhoods like mine. There may not have been “colored” drinking fountains or “white only” bathrooms but there was a six-foot high, one-foot wide, and half-mile long wall segregating one black community from a neighboring white one. Many other invisible and more impenetrable walls existed within our divided city.
It’s been nearly 50 years, but I’ll never forget that day when, out of anger and fear, I vowed, “I’ll never forgive him!” My husband and I had taken our three children shopping for school clothes. While I was busy with the eldest, my husband said he’d take the other two for a walk through the mall. Unknown to me, the three-year-old had convinced his father that he’d stay at the store, sit quietly in a little crawl-through hole by the store’s entrance, and wait for his dad’s return. Unfortunately, my husband never told me of that decision. Having the attention span of a gnat, the little guy quickly grew bored watching shoppers. After wandering into the store to hide in the clothes racks, he looked for his brother and me. Not seeing us (since we were in a changing room), the independent guy decided we’d left without him and calmly went looking for us in the mall parking lot. While I was paying for our purchases, my husband returned with only one child in tow. Almost simultaneously, with panic in our voices, we asked one another, “Where’s Scooter?” My imagination went wild with all the horrible things that could have happened to the youngster. In an instant, I decided I’d never forgive my husband for his carelessness and that our marriage would be over!
The hatred between Jews and Samaritans began in 930 BC when Solomon’s son Rehoboam was king and the united kingdom of Israel divided. Ten tribes rebelled and made Jeroboam king of the northern kingdom of Israel whose capital was Samaria. Only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin along with the Levitical priesthood remained in the southern kingdom of Judah. Fearing a change of alliance if people returned to Jerusalem to worship, Jeroboam set up his own worship centers in the north.
The two were seated next to us on the patio; the frail elderly woman was the mother and the younger woman her daughter. After pondering the menu, the mother had all sorts of questions about it. In no rush to order, she dithered over her entrée choice and, once food was served, she lingered over it. As I observed the two women, I could see and hear the daughter’s growing frustration and impatience with her mother. They reminded me of the times I took my mother-in-law out to lunch. Having “been there and done that,” I wanted to tell the daughter to be patient. One day, mom would be gone and she’d wish they had more days together.
As much as I enjoy reading the works of authors like C.S. Lewis, A.W. Tozer, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and N.T. Wright, I admit to not always understanding exactly what they’re saying. Nevertheless, thinking me an expert, a friend sent me an article written by a well-known Christian theologian and asked for my thoughts. Unfortunately, I had none because I couldn’t make sense of it. When I reluctantly admitted my bewilderment, my friend admitted the same. Although we both tried to understand the author, neither of us could discern his point. He appeared to have used a great many fancy words to say very little. While another scholar might make sense of his words, we two reasonably intelligent believers couldn’t. Unfortunately, some pastors, theologians, Christian writers, and fellow believers unnecessarily complicate faith and our relationship with God.
Devotions of the Heart 