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From: proverbs31-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <proverbs31-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> on
behalf of Linda Ryan <claminator@xxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, May 24, 2023 5:24:00 AM
To: proverbs31@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <proverbs31@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [Proverbs31] Today's Devotion - Seeing Yourself As God Sees You
Seeing Yourself as God Sees You
By Sharon Jaynes On April 19, 2023
Today's Truth
This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the
same testings we do, yet he did not sin (Hebrews 4:15 NLT).
[https://girlfriendsingod.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/04-19-23-Wednesday-SJ-600x600.jpg]<https://girlfriendsingod.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0a1e465267305a57b81efb7cd&id=d28df2bf26&e=9b0f5f3c9e>
Friend to Friend
For almost forty years, Margaret lived with word-inflicted wounds that nearly
destroyed her life. From the first day she attended her one room schoolhouse,
she and her teacher, Ms. Garner, didn’t get along. Ms. Garner was harsh,
bitter, and cruel, and could not tolerate Margaret’s childish idiosyncrasies.
Margaret was nine years old when she frantically raced into class, late again.
As she burst through the doors, she faced her peers jeering at her maliciously.
“Margaret!” Ms. Garner shouted. “We have been waiting for you! Get up here to
the front of the class, right now!”
Ms. Garner ranted, “Boys and girls, Margaret has been a bad girl. I have tried
to help her be responsible. But apparently, she doesn’t want to learn. So, we
must teach her a lesson. We must force her to face what a selfish person she
has become. I want each of you to come to the front of the room, take a piece
of chalk, and write something bad about Margaret on the blackboard. Maybe this
experience will motivate her to become a better person!”
One by one, the students wrote their life-smothering words, slowly
extinguishing the light in Margaret’s soul. “Margaret is stupid! Margaret is
selfish! Margaret is fat! Margaret is a dummy!” On and on they wrote until
twenty-five terrible scribblings of Margaret’s “badness” filled the chalkboard.
The venomous accusations taunted Margaret on what felt like the longest day of
her life. After walking home with each caustic word indelibly written on her
heart, she crawled into her bed, claimed sickness, and tried to cry the pain
away. But the pain never left.
Jesus understands what it feels like to have people call you names. People
called him a blasphemer (Matthew 9:3), the prince of demons (Matthew 9:34), an
evil spirit (Mark 3:30), and a lawbreaker (Mark 2:24). His own family said that
he was crazy (Mark 3:21). Yes, He knows what it feels like to have a broken
heart—figuratively and physically.
A paraphrase of today’s truth says it this way: “We don’t have a priest who is
out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing,
experienced it all—all but the sin.” (Hebrews 4:16 MSG). He understands.
Let’s go back to Margaret for a moment. After four decades of depression and
anxiety, she had finally sought help from a psychologist. Two long years of
weekly counseling helped Margaret finally extricate herself from her past. It
had been a long and difficult road, but she smiled at her counselor as they
talked about her readiness to move on.
“Well, Margaret,” the counselor said softly, “I guess it’s graduation day for
you. How are you feeling?”
After a long silence, Margaret spoke. “I…I’m okay.”
The counselor hesitated. “Margaret, I know this will be difficult, but just to
make sure you’re ready to move on, I am going to ask you to do something. I
want to go back to your schoolroom and detail the events of that day. Take your
time.
Describe each of the children as they approach the blackboard; remember what
they wrote and how you felt—all twenty-five students.”
For forty years, she had remembered every detail. And yet, to go through the
nightmare one more time would take every bit of strength she had. One by one,
she described each of the students vividly, as though she had just seen them,
stopping periodically to regain her composure, forcing herself to face each of
those students one more time.
Finally, she was finished, and the tears would not stop, could not stop.
Margaret cried a long time before she realized someone was whispering her name.
“Margaret. Margaret. Margaret.”
She looked up to see her counselor staring into her eyes, saying her name over
and over again. Margaret stopped crying for a moment.
“Margaret. You…you left out one person.”
“I certainly did not! I have lived with this story for forty years, and I know
every student by heart.”
“No, Margaret, you did forget someone. See, he’s sitting in the back of the
classroom. He’s standing up, walking toward your teacher, Ms. Garner. She is
handing him a piece of chalk and he’s taking it, Margaret, he’s taking it!
Now he’s walking over to the blackboard and picking up an eraser. He is erasing
every one of the sentences the students wrote. They are gone! Now he’s turning
and looking at you, Margaret. Do you recognize him yet? Yes, his name is Jesus.
Look, He’s writing new sentences on the board. ‘Margaret is loved. Margaret is
beautiful. Margaret is gentle and kind. Margaret is strong. Margaret has great
courage.’”
And Margaret began to weep. But very quickly, the weeping turned into a smile,
and then into laughter, and then into tears of
joy.”[1]<https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#m_6276421582154003708__ftn1>
For forty years Margaret had limped through life with the pain of a broken
heart. But finally, she allowed Jesus, the Healer, the Comforter, the Great
Physician, to bind up the broken heart and allow it to heal.
Jesus calls you names…and they’re all good. What is Jesus writing on the
chalkboard about you today?
You are chosen.
You are dearly loved.
You are holy.
You are beautiful.
You are pure.
You are my bride.
I have your name engraved on the palm of my hand.
Let’s Pray
Dear Lord, thank You that I am a new creation in Christ Jesus. I can almost
picture You walking to the front of the room and writing my new identity in
Christ on the board. Help me to see myself as You see me and never believe the
lies that tell me otherwise.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
