Chapter 3 Comments from Joan

Where has the time gone? Although Chapter 3 is not exactly fresh in my mind, I would like to comment about a few things I have learned. On page 64 it says, "What we believe about God is crucial because it affects what we believe about everything else...If we do not see Him as He really is -... we will have a distorted view of ourselves." Isn't that the truth? So many times I've allowed thoughts from worldly things - magazines, books, movies, etc cloud my thinking not only about God, but also about myself. I found the comment on page 66 quite enlightening, "Even when the input is, in and of itself, true, the Deceiver can use that data to put us in bondage." What a good reminder for me to watch what I say to my grandchildren and even my children at their advanced age. Satan loves to twist things around and make a person feel inadequate any way he can. May we personally believe the truth - that God declared the value of our soul to be greater than the value of the whole world. John 8:31-32. On page 69 we are reminded that "low self-esteem" is one of the most common diagnoses of our day. It is so important to find our value in God, not in what someone thinks about us - to find our identity in Christ. As it says on page 71, "Our need is not to love ourselves more but to receive His incredible love for us and to accept His design and purpose for our lives. Once we have received His love... we will become channels of His love to others." Personally, being shy since I was young has been very difficult for me. At times I have said, "That's the way I am, I can never change." In reality I know that God can change that area of my life, but I tend to be satisfied with the way I am and not want to allow God to change me. I found the comment on page 74 most interesting..."The fact is, successful relationships and healthy cultures are not built on the claiming of rights but on the yielding of rights." What would our world be like if we did that? Christ didn't claim his rights - he didn't argue with his false accusers, but yielded Himself to death on the cross even though He was innocent. I definitely need to yield all my rights to the One who ultimately holds all rights. Page 80 held a good reminder for me about how I dress, talk and act around others. It says, "Don't think, dress, or act like the world; inwardly and outwardly, let others see the difference He makes in your life... Page 81, "The outward appearance of the Christian woman is to reflect a heart that is simple, pure, and well-ordered; her clothing and hairstyles should not be distracting or draw attention to herself by being extravagant, extreme, or indecent. In this way, she reflects the true condition of her heart and her relationship with the Lord, and she makes the Gospel attractive to the world." A lot of pain and suffering could be avoided if I and others would have followed that advice. In closing I just wanted to comment on something the author said on page 86. She states, "God has made us in such a way that we can never be truly satisfied with anything or anyone less than Himself and that it is not wrong to have unfulfilled longings. We must learn to accept those longings, surrender them to God, and look to Him to meet the deepest needs of our hearts." What a blessing to know that God can and does meet all our needs. When I first got married I thought my husband would meet all my needs, but I soon found out that was not going to be true! It was very disappointing at the time, but at the same time, I could also see that I would never be able to meet all of my husbands needs. :) Praise God, He can meet all of our needs!