Lenten Daily Devotional:Leslie Hollaway

Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. Psalm 37:5
The Lie: I was baptized as an adult, though I have been exposed to Christianity off and on throughout my life. As a result of living on the “sidelines” of faith, the lie I have often allowed myself to believe is that I am unworthy of God’s love. Even today – as I write this – I feel a familiar anxiety and heavy-heartedness… I doubt that God’s love is “for people like me.” I allow myself to feel like an outsider to Christianity, and I allow Satan to convince me that there is something that I did or have done in my life that will forever keep me on the periphery of God’s love and light. In believing this falsehood that God’s love is conditional, I find myself doubting and having false arguments in my head, trying to convince myself that I am indeed worthy of God’s love. This disconnection from others is exactly what Satan wants – he wants me to back down in weakness, to harden my heart, and to live in fear…believing his lies. When I am in fear, I manipulate and seek to control outcomes. I distrust. I lose faith. And, I turn my back to God, thereby rejecting his love for me.
Prayer: Dear Lord, I accept that I will not always know or understand your plan for me in my life. I seek to surrender to your love always, to be a trusting and enduring child of God, guided by faith (even when I feel afraid). I humbly seek to accept your love. When I feel fear and doubt, I will remember all that you have done – and sacrificed – so that I may feel and share your love and light. Please guide me as I seek to accept and share your love in every moment of every day. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. - Leslie Hallaway