Value

"What is the most valuable currency in the world? People have told me before that it is gold or money. But the roads of Heaven are literally paved with gold; people literally walk on gold in Heaven. It is the equivalent of asphalt. No, the most valuable currency in the whole world is not gold or money. The most valuable currency in the world is the blood of Jesus"-- Steve Eklund

You are valuable. You are worthy of love and you are accepted. How do we know this? Our culture spends a lot of its time telling us that we are less than, that we are small, that we are insignificant, and that we have to prove that we are valuable. We are thrown into a River of Expectations the day we are born. We must be beautiful, successful, strong, rich, and talented to be worthy of someone's time and attention. Trying to be all of these things can be overwhelming and we can end up feeling like we are drowning.

So how do we know we have value without waiting for our culture to tell us that we do? We listen to the One who created us. God says that you are so valuable, so precious, and so loved that He gave the most valuable, sacred, precious, honorable, and perfect payment so that you could be with Him: His Son, Jesus. You do not have to earn His love, His attention, or His affection. He offers it to you because of His deep love for you.

You are not an accident, a mistake, or an afterthought. You are not less than or unworthy. You have been bought with the priceless blood of Jesus that is without measure; it covers all.

Ask the Lord this week to reveal how much He values you this week

When Flaws are Strengths

 “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully”

Romans 12:6-8

No one likes to have their flaws pointed out to them. Yet, criticism seems to always find its way to us. We may even hear the same things over and over again. People might say that you are flighty, unorganized, and unable to follow through on commitments. Maybe they say that you are rigid, unfeeling, and mean. Maybe that you are too loud or too quiet; too strict or too lenient; think too much or don’t think enough; feel too deeply or don’t feel enough.

You are most likely aware of your own flaws, so these criticisms sting more than you wish they would. They somehow feel like a lie but also very much like the truth. You want them to roll off your back but instead they stick like barbs.

When people see flaws in you, chances are they are seeing the negative side of your strength. They are seeing your ability to adapt to your surroundings as being inconsistent. They might see your ability to organize your world as being rigid and inflexible.

As someone calls out the negative side of your strength, the side with flaws and messiness, it can make you want to hide your strength entirely. You have been told you are too loud, so you stop talking entirely. You have been told that you are too harsh, so you stop telling the truth of what you see.

Your strengths might be misunderstood because they are unpolished and a little rough around the edges. It could also be that the strength you carry conflicts with the strength of another person, leading neither of you to understand or accept what the other brings to the situation.

We are all unpolished, rough around the edges, messy people—whether we look like it or not. Through God’s grace and love, we are being turned into the people God has called us to be. We strive to do the best we can with the information, resources, and strengths at our disposal. We learn and grow as time goes on. We break and chip as we walk through life. A piece of gold is still precious and valuable, even its roughest form.

You are unique, and your strengths are unique. You add something to this world, to the people around you, to the family of Christ, that no one else does. Walk forward with boldness. For you were fearfully and wonderfully made.

You're a Superhero

God has placed incredible things inside of us when we were created. Like any superhero origin story, we are not always sure that we are special or that we have something to contribute to the world. We walk around, sensing that we are made for something so much more, that we are not just like everyone else, that we are called to something great. We long to save the world, we just don't know how.

We have global missions, like superheros have global missions to save people, protect the innocent, fight evil, and make the world a better place. Our global missions are laid out for us in the Bible: go out and make disciples, bind up the brokenhearted, bring freedom to the captive, etc. We are called to do these things in whatever sphere of influence we have.

We also have personal missions, the specific things that we have each been called to do, how to do them, and where to do them; like Batman guards Gotham and fights crime with a ton of cool, expensive gadgets and an insane amount of fighting skill; Superman protect Metropolis with his ability to fly, being nearly indestructible, and the ability to shoot lasers from his eyes. We each have been called to something specific and something great. 

As we go through life, those callings are pulled out of us through the different events. We find that we make the world a better place through writing, through friendship, through fighting, etc. We each get to fight for the world we love, no matter how big that world is. And God has given us the super powers to save the world.

What is your Super Power?

Get in the Driver's Seat

Isaiah 41:10

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Who’s driving your car? Who is in charge of where you go and how you get there? Who is behind the steering wheel? In the passenger seat?

Some of us are sitting in the passenger seats of our own cars. We wait and wait for someone to take us to where we want to go, hoping and praying they come soon. We blame the world for not providing someone to drive us to get us to our destination. Very soon, we may end up bitter towards God and the world for not fulfilling the callings He has put in our lives, when He Himself has asked us to move.

Some of us have let other people drive our cars. We let them make all the decisions in our lives, take us wherever they want to go. Sometimes they’re wonderful people and we end up somewhere nice. They can be our parents, our spouses, or our friends. We let them control our lives, slowly we become dependent on them and afraid that they’ll leave.

Sometimes they’re horrible people and we end up somewhere painful and dangerous. These can also be our parents, spouses, or friends. They can be culture you live in or the expectations you live under. We end up hurt and afraid, unsure how we even got to this place to begin with.

God strengthens us and answers us, showing up in miraculous and supernatural ways. He can open doors, but you must walk through them. He can call you to a great adventure but you must go on that journey. He can give you a destination but you must drive yourself there. He is with you every step of the way, guiding, strengthening, and helping. It is His delight that this journey of life is something you do together.

God did not call us to something great in this life to not get in the driver’s seat and run after it wholeheartedly. He did not call us His children for our lives to be controlled by other people. He has called us to be courageous and bold, to drive our cars to where He has asked us to go, to take control of our own lives, and fiercely pursue His heart.

Good Things Take Time

“Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin”—Zechariah 4:10

In our world filled with instant gratification, the idea that something might take a long time to accomplish is painful. We don’t want to work hard for 5 years to lose all the weight we want to lose, to create a thriving business, to fall in love. We want to be perfectly fit, amazingly successful, and deeply in love right now, in this second. We so badly want the outcome that we look for shortcuts, some which work and others which backfire.

Rome was not built in a day, forests don’t grow in a week, and passions aren’t accomplished overnight. We see successful people standing in the lime light and it seems like their success happened suddenly. When, in reality, we don’t see the small beginnings, the blood, sweat, and tears of daily hard work. We don’t see the tiny flower sprout from its seed, covered in dirt. We barely see it as it first pushes up into the fresh air. We only see it blooming; bright, iridescent, and beautiful.

Why would God make good things take time? Why must we eat healthy and work out for months to be in amazing shape? Why can’t we just be that way now, after one salad and one run? Why aren’t our relationships filled with excellent communication the instant we meet someone? Why do our businesses take years and years to launch? Why?  

Good things take time. Beautiful things take time. Wonderful things take time. They take work and dedication and discipline. But we find that as we take the time and the effort towards these good things, that they become sweeter to us, way more precious, and we might even start enjoying the process.

There is a beauty and joy in growth that we miss sometimes. We forget that along our journeys towards something, that there are these moments of utter wonder. The first time we write a song, the first product that was sold, the first kiss, the first steps of a child.

When we wish only for the end results, we end up wishing away the sweet, tiny moments that make life awesome. We miss out on moments of wonder that God shares with us. We miss out on being amazed by the joy of taking one small, brave step forward.

The Power of Stories

Maybe you have a sinking suspicion that you are just strange beyond belief, that no one could understand you, that you are the only one. These feelings tends to lead either to feelings of inferiority or superiority, neither of which is ideal. When we share our stories and listen to stories of other people, we find that we are, in fact, not alone.

Everyone has a story to tell; each unique and yet somehow similar. Our stories contain triumphs and disasters, heartbreaks and great loves, embarrassments and elations. We all want similar, over-arching things: to be loved, to love, to belong, to be happy. And we want different, specific things: to have a family, to move to another country, to become a CEO, to start our own companies, and so on and so forth. 

When we listen to other people’s stories, we simultaneously experience that we are all very much alike and yet somehow, intricately different. We get to connect with what makes us human and celebrate what makes us unique. Amongst real, authentic stories, we find a freedom there that was previously not present. We find that we can be vulnerable and authentic, that other people also want real relationships, to connect in deeper ways, and to experience life to the fullest. 

This is why we share our testimonies. We make ourselves vulnerable to people and share that we have been broken too— most likely we are still broken in some way even now. When we do this, we free other people to share their messy stories, for them to be open too. And we connect to each other as we lower the walls of perfection and isolation and find a vast, amazing world filled with the handiwork of God..

NOTE: Not everyone deserves to hear everything about you or your life. Share what you feel comfortable sharing with whoever you feel comfortable sharing it with. 

Blessings,

The Witheos Team

Owning Yourself

What are you responsible for? What is in your power and possession to control and therefore have ownership of? 

You can coerce, manipulate, intimidate, force, or even love people into doing what you want but at the end of the day, you cannot truly control what they do, what they think, how they feel, or what they say. You can control yourself though.

On the frustrating end, if we cannot control people and only control ourselves, this means that we can no longer blame people or life circumstances for how we feel and, more specifically, how we respond to those feelings. Therefore, we have a responsibility and an accountability to how we respond. We don’t get to blame other people for the words that come out of our mouths or the actions that come from our bodies. 

Finally, and most wonderfully, it means that no one controls you. Your body is yours, you get to fight for it, protect it, love it, and steward it. The same goes for your heart, mind, soul, words, and actions. They are not anyone else’s to take away, stab, manipulate, or disregard. They are yours to own, fight for, protect, and love. You get to be alive with the very uniqueness that God put inside of you, without limitations from others. Because these are all yours, they get to breath and sing the glory of God that He has placed inside of you in a way that no one else can. 

Take control. Respond well. Let the Glory of God shine forth from your Heart, your Mind, your Words, and your Actions.

(NOTE: This does not excuse abuse or pain other people have caused. Instead, it gives us the power to walk away from things that are not healthy, to be able to find healing, and to have strength to be good to ourselves.)