17 Things I Wish You Heard More Often


November 13, 2013

Sometimes you just need some good encouragement. That’s what I hope to give you here today. This isn’t cheap, candy-coated babble that was pulled out of thin air just to make you feel good. There’s enough of that out there. This is my honest attempt to give genuine encouragement to YOU, even if I don’t know you personally. These are truths that I just wish you and I heard more often. I hope they make your day and your life richer!

17 Things

1.  You don’t earn true love. You’re given it freely as a gift. If you have to earn it then it’s not really love.

•••

2.  Love may take you as you are but if it’s real it never leaves you as you are. Real love changes you. If you’re not changing, then it’s not really love.

•••

3.  It’s ok to not be ok. You don’t have to pretend like everything’s alright when you really need to cry out for help.

•••

4.  God knew what He was doing when He created you. Whether your parents planned you or not, He did. (Psalm 139:13)

•••

5.  You’re no more defined by your weaknesses than you are your strengths. So given the choice, choose to lean into your strengths and recognize what others already see and admire in you.

•••

6.  Bitterness is like gulping down poison and then waiting eagerly for the other person to die. It’s like letting someone live rent-free in the home of your mind. Put down the cup; kick the free-loading tenant out; be free.

•••

7.  Just because you can’t feel the warmth of love doesn’t mean it isn’t there any more than you can believe that the sun must have been suddenly snuffed out once you no longer sense its warmth on your skin.

•••

8.  God WILL give you more than you can handle. But that doesn’t mean that HE can’t handle it! (1 Peter 5:7)

•••

9.  You add no value to your life by worrying about it. It only takes away time from actually living life.

•••

10.  Doing good as a response to God’s love is true joy. Doing good to try to earn God’s love is true bondage.

•••

11.  Delayed gratification will oftentimes lead to deeper gratification.

•••

12.  Your value doesn’t lie in what you do. It is an inheritance not a payment.

•••

13.  While you are called to love everyone you’re only called to please One.

•••

14.  Failure isn’t final. In fact, the road to success is filled with steps that seem like failures.

•••

15.  We often tend to get depressed because we compare our “blooper” reel against other people’s “highlights” reel. Don’t do that.

•••

16.  Don’t let the limitations of others keep you from doing what God calls you to do. David didn’t need the armor of Saul or the approval of the people to take down Goliath, just the call from God.

•••

17.  You have the potential to break the curve on “average.” Now go for it!