You are Wonderful

If I could sit down with you, I would share something with you. And I would hope that you would believe it.

I would tell you that without a shadow of a doubt that you are wonderful. You are wonderful. Nope, don't argue. You are wonderful. I don't know who you are. I don't know the mistakes, regrets, and wrongs of your past. But I know if I spent one day with you, I would witness some evidence, no matter how small it may be, to support this belief that you are wonderful.

The fact is that we are all sinners, which means we all do wrong. At the same time, we are all wonderful and beautiful because we are made in the image of God. To accept the one without the other is to deny humanity.

Hilter was the driving force of killing millions of people, including people with disabilities. As a woman with a disability, the very thought literally sickens me. Hilter had no right to murder adults and children with disabilities because he judged them as a waste.

Just as I can't deny the evilness of Hilter, I also can't deny that somewhere in him there was some wonderful part in him. Somewhere and somehow he showed compassion and love, even if it was to a single person for just a few moments. Perhaps it was towards his mother. Perhaps not. I have no idea. I just know Hilter made someone smile, even for the briefest moment, once upon a time. He was once an infant, you know.

By the way, did you know that Hilter once had the ambition to become an artist before he chose his dark path?

My point in bringing up Hitler is to show that I know you are wonderful. Every single person is. Too many of us don't get that. We focus on our failures and shortcomings. We listen to every abusive word that was ever said to us. We compare ourselves to others' standards and deemed ourselves as worthless. In giving these things so much attention, we give them power in our lives. So, many of us turn to addictions, violence, unhealthy relationships, food, and whatever to numb out. We can't accept we were made in the image of God, and before we know it we lose ourselves.

What about you, my friend? Can you accept that you are wonderful? Oh sure, I know that you say you know you are wonderful, but do you really believe it? Or, are you just pretending and hiding the painful truth that you think you don't measure up, unlovable, worthless, or a giant mistake?

You know, Jesus didn't just die for us out of pity, but because God knew there was something worth dying for. If this doesn't tell us something wonderful about who we are, then we may want to ponder it a little more.

Note: I want to let you know that these essays that I'm writing are lessons that I had to learn or am in the midst of learning.

It's still a struggle to accept I am wonderful. Deep down, I still have to overcome, with God's grace, that I'm enough. So, please, don't think I am writing contrite little bits of fluff. I know how much you need to accept that you are wonderful because if you are like me I know how much you beat yourself up.

I'm done focusing on my failures. It time to celebrate in the good. I hope you feel the same.