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Don’t Give Up on Yourself
“You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”
—Martin Luther King Jr.
Disappointment, regret, and failure has affected all of us. If you have lived life on this earth for any amount of time, you will come to discover that no one has it all figured out.
Maybe you just don’t believe in yourself anymore. Are you feeling that you have let your loved ones down, let your colleagues down, and let God down? It can feel like you have no place to retreat to, effectively immobilizing you with a web of discouragement, self-doubt, and apathy. When you lose faith in yourself, you stop trying, because you don’t believe that things will ever change. Many of us have experienced what it is like to look in the mirror and see all our worst flaws, insecurities, and weaknesses. Although others would love for you to believe that they have all the answers and none of the problems, the truth is that no one but God fits that description.
So, don’t let others’ accomplishments or critical comments put you under condemnation. If you’ve messed up big-time, and often, then welcome to the club! God has not given up on you, so do not give up on yourself! God can restore your hope, fill your heart with His joy, fill your mind with His peace, and become your reason to live. Life has had and will have many challenges and obstacles for us to overcome. With God’s help, we can choose to smile through the pain, press on through the confusion, and accomplish our God-given destiny. Conversely, we can also choose to break down in the midst of pain and confusion, making life a desperate attempt at survival. It is our perspective, our faith, and ultimately our choices that determine the life we will live.
So, it’s time to let yourself off the hook and forgive yourself, because God already has! God has a plan and purpose for your life. Christianity is not the absence of problems; it’s a relationship with our Creator, who gives us the strength, courage, and fortitude to carry on. He provides us with the tools and companionship to overcome all of life’s difficulties. Do not let your past identify you and dictate your future. Let God define you and shape your future. The best part about it is, no matter how much we mess up, God tells us He will never leave us, never stop loving us, and forgive us any and every time we ask. Regardless of what you feel, or what you have done, it is time to believe in yourself again and refuse to give up!
Prayer
Lord, I know that I am a work in progress. Help me not to be so critical of myself. Help me to forgive myself for my sins and shortcomings, just like I know You have forgiven me. Help me to put the past behind me and focus on my life going forward. You know me better than anyone else—even better than I know myself. Help me to see myself as You see me. Help me to identify with what Your Word says I am in You. You say that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. You say that I am free, made new, redeemed from my mistakes, righteous in Your sight, loved, complete in You, chosen by You, strong because of You, a light in the darkness, an overcomer, more than a conqueror, protected by You, and most importantly, Your child. Let me believe these things over what my situation or other people say about me. Help me get to the point where my life reflects the truths of who I am according to Your Word. Show me how to find my identity in You and not in what I do. Help my focus and my motives to always be rooted in You. Thank You. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
Scriptures
Therefore, since God in his mercy has given us this new way, we never give up.
—2 Corinthians 4:1 (NLT)
Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.
—Philippians 1:6
I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins. Put Me in remembrance; Let us contend together; State your case, that you may be acquitted.
—Isaiah 43:25-26 (NKJV)
Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
—Psalms 43:5
An encouraging story of somebody who didn't give up on themselves:
There was a young lady who was demoted from her job as a news anchor because she
“wasn’t fit for television.”
She went on to become television's highest-paid entertainer, producer, and actress in her own television specials. That young lady is:
Oprah Winfrey
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