by Shauna Millar | Dec 8, 2023 | faith
I would like to ask you a question: how do you your value yourself? How do you perceive what you are worth? On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate yourself? (One [1] being the lowest, ten [10] being the highest.) For most people, this is a difficult question to answer, and often when we answer, our value tilts to the lower balance of the scale. Why do you think that is? Perhaps it is because we are our harshest judges. If you asked this same question of someone else, how they value you, their number would oppose your own. More than likely, it would be on the upper end of the scale.
While we see ourselves through very judgemental eyes, others view us differently. They watch the way we treat others, how we interact in a variety of situations, if we go out of our way, if we put others before ourselves, and so much more. Yet, when we consider ourselves, we notice our flaws. The imperfections. This is the way we reason not allowing ourselves a higher ranking. Our measuring stick for ourselves and towards others vastly differs.
If someone we place a high value on, such as a parent, teacher, best friend, spouse, etc., treats us as if we aren’t valuable, then we knock ourselves down even more. We become more critical of who we are, what we are doing, and how we are doing it. This can lead to a spiral of depression, self-deprecation, and more. If they treat us better, we innately don’t feel that they are placing the right value on us. That their perception is skewed. Yet, the only value that we should concern ourselves with is the one God has given us.
“For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16 [Amplified Bible]
What an amazing thing that God holds us so precious and valuable that He sent His only son to pay for our sins! Can you imagine giving up your only child to die for someone else’s sin? Would you be willing to sacrifice your only child in order to save someone else?
Further, He cares for us so deeply that He knows every part of our fabric because He intentionally created us! He designed you with purpose!
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you [and approved of you as My chosen instrument],
And before you were born I consecrated you [to Myself as My own];
I have appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5
Have you ever watched a master artisan as they are working? They take their time to select the best materials for the job. They spend time planning, preparing and then forming their artistic piece with their hands, creating a unique and wonderful piece of art.
That is what we are! God has created every one of us, knowing who we would be and giving us the free will to come to Him in our time. He doesn’t force Himself on us.
“For You formed my innermost parts;
You knit me [together] in my mother’s womb.” Psalms 139:13
My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was being formed in secret,
And intricately and skillfully formed [as if embroidered with many colors] in the depths of the earth. Psalms 139:15
God loves you! God loves me! He knows who we are, and He still puts such a high value on us that He sent His ONLY son to die for us in order to redeem us and make sure we would always be with Him! Wow! Think about how amazing that is! You are valuable and important. Sometimes, we need to step back from what we are feeling or thinking about and look at it from another perspective.
The next time you want to de-value yourself, that you think you aren’t worth anything, stop listening to negative words from man and remember the value God has placed on you. Remember that you are both planned and chosen. That you are not a mistake but a beautifully crafted individual created with purpose! How cool is that?
by Sue Forde | Dec 1, 2023 | faith
A number of years ago, I heard the term “filling the God hole”, referring to that which we all as human beings seek to fulfill in our lives. How often have you felt an empty spot in your heart and soul? Loneliness, fear, anger, frustration…did I mention “fear”? That emotion runs high, and despite the denial of it, is often the foundation of many other emotions.
An emptiness that we feel and try to “fix” by nonstop activities, family, friends, lovers, spouses, shopping, food, sleep, drugs, alcohol, a myriad of other ways to try and fill it. Other attempts to fill that “hole” can include self-centeredness, negativity, pessimism, hopelessness, apathy, restlessness, emptiness, longing, rawness, sadness, frustration, depression, neediness.
A Psychology Today article says that, “We are all searching for something. What that something might be is never really a certainty, but it typically displays itself as a nagging sense of something unfinished or a thing undone that plagues our days and troubles our sleep. It is a restlessness within the human heart described by St. Augustine as “…humanity’s innate desire for the infinite…”,” He’s right to a point; his answer is that “we,” can fulfill that longing. The truth is: we can’t. (1)
Blaise Pascal was the first to identify the “God hole”. He was a 17th Century mathematician, scientist, philosopher, and theologian who, while still a teenager, even invented rudimentary calculators.
“Pascal postulated in his Pensees that for each of us, there is a proverbial hole within our hearts. It leaves us craving and seeking happiness. Regardless of our possessions, wealth, or satiation with food and drink, we still seek more.
“Pascal said this desire to seek more is evidence that, at one point, there was a man who was completely satisfied and happy. As Christians, we recognize that this is Adam, the first of our kind, who walked with God in the Garden of Eden and knew nothing of want.
“Therein lies the key — the satisfaction we seek is in God rather than any temporal fulfillment. As Pascal said, “this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words by God himself.”” (2)
“We come into the world craving love, spend our lives chasing after love, and die wanting more love.” (3)
Nothing can fulfill that longing except for one thing: God’s unconditional love.
“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (4) (). God fashioned us in His image to love and to be loved. He loved us so much that He sacrificed His only-begotten Son so that we could have a personal relationship with Him, for eternity. (John 3:16)
Consider King Solomon, who had all the riches, success, esteem, and power in the world—in short, all that men seek after in this life—we see that none of it fulfilled the longing for eternity. He declared it all “vanity,” meaning that he sought after these things in vain because they did not satisfy. In the end he said, “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole [duty] of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).
Each of us has a hole in our mind, our heart, and our body that only God can fill, As Christians, God calls us to help each other find that God hole and fill it with the best unconditional love we can muster. It begins with our presence with each other and listening. (5) If you don’t yet have a personal relationship with Christ, I invite you to consider getting one. Here’s a simple explanation about how to do that. See The Four Spiritual Laws.
Will all our longings and fears suddenly be removed? Absolutely not! We are human, after all, and will revert to our old ways, probably more frequently than we wish we would. But there is a change that takes place within the heart and spirit and mind when we accept the Lord and our heavenly Father as first and foremost in our lives. We start thinking more about others than ourselves, and “getting out of ourselves” is a solution to these longings in and of itself. Into service to others, starting with being available, forming relationships based on unconditional, rather than “conditional” love, goes a very long way to fill that “God hole.”
Do you have a “God hole?” Turn your mind and heart to God and His Son Jesus Christ, the answer to the longing in our hearts. What have you got to lose? (And everything to gain!)
By Sue Forde
1 Michael Formica opines in a Psychology Today article.
2 https://www.geeksundergrace.com/christian-living/pascals-god-shaped-hole-and-the-geek/
3 Lori Freeland, a freelance author
(4) Genesis 1:27 NIV
(5) Joanna Seibert.
by Shauna Millar | Aug 22, 2023 | Book Review, faith, Trust
I would like to extend a personal invitation to you to acquire my new 30-day devotional! I am thrilled about the chance to open up a portion of my journey following the loss of my husband. God’s love for us is boundless, and His unwavering presence is a comfort. This devotional was crafted with the intention of guiding you through one day at a time, helping you contemplate God’s love and develop unwavering trust in Him, regardless of the circumstances.
I have written on trust in various blog posts, this devotional is a personal journey I took and am inviting you to come along with me.
Let me know what you think!
by Shauna Millar | Apr 30, 2021 | faith, hope, prayer, strength
It seems as if we are surrounded in a world filled with fear. Society around us has decidedly changed. The enemy is doing his best to steal, kill and destroy. We can see it in every aspect and walk of life. There doesn’t seem to be any corner left untouched.
Fight or flight is the general response to fear. It seems more people would rather just bury their heads in the sand and hope everything gets better. We know that faith without works is dead. However, did you know that faith is the opposite of fear? The bible tells us to “fear not”.
Isaiah 41:10
Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
It can be difficult to find our faith when we are under attack – when it seems the enemy has created an impenetrable stronghold. Yet, our God stands with us. Firmly. He protects us. He keeps us in the shelter of His wings. He walks with us THROUGH the valley of the shadow of death.
Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
He is with US – with you, with me – WHEREVER we go. There is no place where we travel that we are alone. God is with us. When we are weak, He is strong. We can call upon His strength. We can pray and communicate with our Heavenly Father and He will provide for us what we need, when we need it. The complexity in that statement is knowing that it is in HIS time, not ours.
Just because we want something NOW doesn’t mean that we will get it NOW. There are reasons we are told to put on the full armor of God daily. That armor will get beaten and battered, it will get worn in, but not worn down. We need to continually renew our hearts and minds.
Romans 12:2
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
When was the last time, you took your time to spend in the presence of God?
We may struggle with what is happening in this world. We may struggle with what is happening in our lives. There is so much destruction. There is so much desperation. There are so many who have lost their way. There are so many who doubt that God exists. There are so many who don’t have a personal relationship with Christ.
It is our gift to be able to share our light with others – so that they may know Christ through us. How can we do that if we are living our lives in fear of what is to come? Or fear of what is happening around us? It is the strength of our faith that helps us move forward. It is the conviction of our hearts that allows us to stand firm.
Even with all these things, if we aren’t spending time in the presence of God, if we aren’t making time to pray and communicate, we are allowing ourselves to get worn down. When we are weary, it is easier for us to find ourselves not only under attack, but not able to stand the attack. It is easier for our minds to be compromised with thoughts that aren’t uplifting but are filled with fear and despair.
I encourage you to renew your faith today.
I encourage you to spend time in the presence of the Lord. Be in the moment with your Maker. Don’t let the distractions of the day seep in and take the blessing of time spent under His wings in renewal. Let your heart be filled with worship and praise. Let your soul dance in the presence of the One who made you. It will help you to be restored, refreshed and renewed.
It is in these moments that our faith grows stronger. It is with these moments that we find we can turn our faith to works. Don’t allow your faith to wither on the vine and die. Instead, allow it to flourish and grow. Allow it to give you strength to fight for what is right. To move forward in strength and conviction. To share love in a confused and struggling world.
We know our nation needs to turn back toward God. We know that with every step the enemy takes to remove God from our lives, we come closer to being a faithless, corrupt country. We need to stand up, not sit down because we are worried about who will say what. We need to take back what the Lord gave us.
We need to also remember we can’t do it alone. We can’t do it with our own strength. We need the Lord to guide us, to lead us, to be a part of our movement. We need to seek His will in our lives.
Philippians 4:6-7
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Isaiah 41:13
For I am the Lord your God
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you.
You are not alone on this journey.
by Shauna Millar | Apr 17, 2021 | encouragement, faith, General
Where do we find faith? Is it in the smell of the freshly cut grass? The feel of the coolness of the breeze as it passes over us? The sound of lawn mower? The person reading a book?
The leaves dancing in the wind? The brilliant green of the grass or the dazzling blue of the sky? When we look around us, what is it we see with not just our eyes, but our hearts, our hopes, our minds?
There are little signs of faith everywhere. We have faith that all these things will be here tomorrow. Yet, tomorrow isn’t promised to us. No, tomorrow is a concept we hold onto. It is something we choose to believe in even though we can’t see it.
We control this moment in time. Only this one. We can plan for the next and the one after that, but we have no real guarantee that it will be there for us. That is faith.
However, spiritual faith is more than all these things. Faith is not holding the hope that these things will be there tomorrow, but if tomorrow isn’t here, we will be with the Creator of these things.
God is a brilliant artist. He loves us and gave us a beautiful world filled with wonderful things. Yet, there are also awful things in the world. Too many attribute these to God as well.
He gave us a free will on how we will live our lives. He gives us the opportunity to surround ourselves with positives. Even in the midst of the negatives. We are a light set upon a hill. How brightly do you let your light shine? With all the things that are happening in the world around us, it is easy to lose sight of what is important.
It is easy to allow ourselves to forget the promises of God. It is easy to forget we are just travelers here. It is easy to forget that this is not our home, it is just the place we are passing through, allowing our light to shine and point others to the joy that is in a relationship with Christ.
Faith is the glue that holds us together when we are struggling; when we don’t understand what is happening in the world around us or even our own world. When my husband died, that pain in my heart was beyond allowing me to feel as if I could breath. It was my faith that carried me through.
Faith has carried me through all the difficult times in my life. My strong conviction that God truly is in control. It is not an easy path. It would be much simpler to just blame God for all my sorrows and troubles. It would seem easier to just curl up and let the world pass me by.
Easy isn’t in our vocabulary. The path we follow can be extremely difficult. History has shown us time and time again what type of persecution we can expect. People who don’t understand our relationship or who want to proclaim themselves god – above others. They are being lied to by the enemy, who is out to steal, kill and destroy.
Satan has been doing his job extremely well. Just look around at the world today and you can see it in almost every area of life. What kind of job are we doing? What kind of job am I doing? We are each responsible for not only our actions but our reactions in our lives. The way we deal with people, situations, troubles, burdens, etc.
I admit I don’t always handle situations in a manner that reflects well on my belief. Sometimes I just struggle with what is going on in my own little world, so much so that I lose focus. Happily, God remains on my side. He is faithful and just to forgive. I need forgiveness quite a bit.
None of us are perfect. We consistently fall short. We judge ourselves harshly and sometimes we judge others even more harshly. We need to find the balance in our lives. The Bible tells us to ‘judge not lest we be judged’ and ‘he who is without sin cast the first stone’. These are just gentle reminders that we are all sinners and fall short.
We live in a toxic environment; separated by politics, race, religion, and more. How do we change this pattern? We need to seek God’s wisdom. We need to not fall victim to the ideals of the world and find the seed of truth that God wants us to grow.
There is a truth that is buried in all our hearts – the value of a relationship with Christ. The connection that if we can make it, simply by asking Him into our lives and hearts, we will be able to learn to rise above differences and realize that we are equal in Him. That what the world says separates us, isn’t a truth. We aren’t separated by the color of our skin, we are only taught and told that, we choose what we believe.
We need to not allow ourselves to continue to be influenced by the world around us. We need instead, to influence the people in the world around us. Be that beacon of truth. Be strong in our faith and in who we are. Know who we are in Christ and believe in that relationship.
Faith is what helps to keep us on the right path, but faith without works is dead. We can’t just say we have faith, we need to act on it.
Will you do that today? After all, today may be all you have.
by Shauna Millar | Apr 9, 2021 | encouragement, faith
A journey of faith starts with understanding what faith is. There is a lot of skepticism that surrounds ‘faith’. Faith as defined by the dictionary (2:2), “belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion.”
We understand faith as defined by the Bible, Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV), “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
There are people who don’t understand this concept of faith, as they don’t believe in God. They believe He is a myth. Yet, there is a void inside them that they try to fill with everything but a relationship with their Creator. Or they want to declare themselves ‘god’ and not bow down to anyone. They want to create (by cloning, modifying DNA, etc.) to saythat that there is no difference between God and man.
Don’t look to fill your void with something else
Throughout history, we have seen the vanity of mankind in their attempt to fill the space that was meant for our relationship with God. The Tower of Babel, which is used as mythos as to why we speak different languages, was built with the intention of reaching the Heavens and preventing another flood. (God had already promised his people He would never destroy the world in this way again.)
The Golden Calf, created when Moses ascended the mountain to receive the Ten Commandments. When Moses came down from the mountain, he found Israelites worshiping the golden calf; breaking the first and second commandments. Have no other God before Me, you shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below; don’t bow down to idols. (Read Exodus 20)
God is a jealous God
He desires a relationship with us. He doesn’t want anything to interfere in that relationship. His desire is for us. Often it is difficult for us to focus on what we can’t see. So, we fall back into what we can see. This is where faith comes in. This is also how the journey of faith begins.
We need to “lean not to our own understanding, but in all our ways acknowledge Him and He will guide our path.” (Pro 3:5-6). The thing about faith is that when we first return to God, when we dedicate our lives to Him, when we decide we want that personal relationship; it is all about the journey. We believe that we are not part of this world, we are travelers passing through.
We recognize that we are not omnipotent; and although we can ‘create’, that there should be a line in what we create. God made us to be creative and inquisitive. It is in our nature to want to create: music, art, poetry, dance, inventions, etc. are all creative outlets after all.
Man Isn’t Meant to be God
Isn’t it odd that, on one hand, scientists are working to create embryos, that they are experimenting with human DNA to create ‘perfect’ children, while on the other hand, doctors are justifying abortion? This is man’s way of saying, we know better than God.
It is the intricate diversity of humanity that makes us incredible – being imperfect, flawed. Yet, grasping the idea that we are supposed to love our neighbor (who may be totally different than we are) as ourselves, seems to have been forgotten.
Isn’t it interesting, when Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, His reply was (Mt 22:36-40) “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
The commandments were reduced to two things – loving God and loving our neighbor as ourselves. Yet, what seems relatively easy and straightforward, people struggle with. They struggle with loving God because they don’t have a relationship with Him. They refuse to accept that there is a God and that they aren’t Him. They struggle with – wrestle with – both the spirit and the flesh. They let other things take over their hearts and minds thinking they know better.
In so doing, they aren’t able to do the second thing; love their neighbor as themselves. Why? Because they don’t truly love themselves. They love their flesh. They love the idols of the world. They love the idea of power. They love the idea of being better than others. They let their flesh rule them and ignore their spirit. They don’t want to live by faith. They want to feel in control of everything and not allow their lives to be ruled by anything other than their own wills.
Faith Makes Us Stronger
What they don’t realize is that faith is what makes us stronger. It is what heals both our spirit and flesh. It is what helps us to combine both parts of us. It is the balm to the wounds that we self inflict. Allowing God to lead us along His path is power. Giving up our will to allow God’s will to reign is true strength. Plus, the greatest benefit, God WANTS what is BEST for US.
God wants us to be successful. God wants us to have the desires of our heart. He wants us to do well. He wants us to have fiscal freedom. He wants us to be happy. Our happiness makes God happy. God doesn’t demand a lot from us, yet the world wants you to think that He does.
Perhaps you have heard this quote by Albert Camus “I would rather live my life as if there is a god and die to find out there isn’t, than live my life as if there isn’t and die to find out there is.”
Our faith tells us that there is a God. It is the foundation of our religion. Yet, people will fall on their swords before accepting Christ into their hearts or accepting the idea of their being a God in heaven? Why? I believe it is that we were created with the desire for communication with our Maker. This desire points to the fact that there is a God. Yet we were also born into sin, with human flesh and weakness; this means we were designed to seek our creator.
Much like in the trials of Job, where the devil asked God to allow him to test Job’s faith in God, we will find ourselves in the midst of those trials. Will you turn back? Will you curse God’s name? Will you act as if He doesn’t exist? Will you blame Him for all your problems and struggles? Or will you, like Job, maintain your faith and conviction that God is God. That no matter the situation we are in, He is there.
It is due to Job’s faith that God blessed Him sevenfold. He increased his holdings, he blessed him with beautiful children. God was walking on the journey of faith with Job and He rewarded Job’s faithfulness.
Is this a journey worth taking?
