Problem...

Do you ever feel worthless? I do from time to time. Sometimes I'll look around and wonder if I have anything good to offer anyone. I'm not really artistic - I can't hold a candle to people who can sing in concerts and put out cd's, or who can capture something in a picture that you'd never in know it was there or how beautiful it was. I'm not as nice as other people or as loving, I'm actually a very selfish person. I'm not always fun, or funny, or full of ideas, the list could go on and on.

So, when I believe that I'm no good to anyone or without anything to offer, I tend to shut down and close myself off. I won't let anyone see anything about who I am. Even the simplist questions of "what's new?" are difficult to answer. And the real trouble is, its at that point that I really don't have anything to offer anyone, because I'm not willing to offer anything at all.

Bad circle to be in.

Here's a quote from From Donald Miller, from his book "Searching for God Knows What"

"...I think Jesus is saying, "Look, you guys are running around like monkeys, trying to get people to clap, but people are fallen, they are separated from God, so they have no idea what is good or bad, worthy to be judged or set free, beautiful or ugly to begin with. Why not get your glory from God? Why not accept your feelings of redemption because of His pleasure in you, not the fickle and empty favor of man? And only then will you know who you are, and only then will you have true, unhinhibited relationships with others.""

Its in times like this that I need to stop looking around at other people and start looking at who Jesus is and how HE thinks about me. Obviously I have value, or He wouldn't have made me in the first place. Its only when you are confident in Him, that you can be truely confident in yourself and your relationships with others. So that's my prayer.