It's NOT What People Say About You...It's What You Believe About Yourself!

Many people won't let you forget your past or where you come from.....REGARDLESS To what Our Father Has Done For You..... They put you in a category and judge you by what others say about you and who your parents and family are.

Most of us were called "names" we didn't like back in grade school. And most of us can still remember the hurt we felt and the stress we endured. Unfortunately, we weren't very good at separating perception and reality. We confused opinion and fact. We didn't understand that just because a person perceived something or said something about us didn't make it real.
 
Now you're an adult, but you may still be struggling with this issue. You give the comments of others way too much power. You let their comments bring you down. That's a lousy way to live. Even though you may want everyone's approval, you're never going to get it. And even though you may want everyone to say nice things about you, it's never going to happen. So it's time to grow up. It's time to realize that what you believe "about" yourself is a lot more important than what people say about you. In fact, if you can just believe "in" yourself, you'll find life to be a lot more enjoyable and meaningful.
 
There are many things you can do to believe "in" yourself, but let me mention four of them today. First, GO WHERE YOU ARE CELEBRATED INSTEAD OF WHERE YOU ARE TOLERATED. Don't hang around those places that do not celebrate you. Don't waste your entire life on people who do not value you. Move on. Some people are out to get you. And other people just put up with you. Avoid them if at all possible. They make it very difficult for you to believe in yourself.

My Life is similar......Let's face it, it's hard to turn away from sin--to really intend to stop doing sinful things we like, and embrace sacrificial holiness. "For I do not do the good I want but the evil I do not want to do" (Rm.7: 19). Ever feel like that? Sure, we probably all have. Saints are made from sinners....... we are all sinners (Rm.3: 23) and the more we realize this the more we should strive for grace and the absolute need of God in our conversions: We need a Savior..... And... the saints weren't ready-made, plastic robots already fit with haloes.... they were sinners, humans striving for holiness.
 
It seems kinda' "funny" then: to make a saint you need a sinner, and realizing that one is a sinner is the first condition on the road to healing and holiness. The Lord didn't say "Don't sin and turn to the Gospel". Rather, He said, "Repent"-- which means change with your whole heart, your entire being, your soul