See yourself as God sees you…

Author: Beth Zanotelli, Diocese of Palm Beach Coordinator of Family Life

Life is a crazy, wonderful journey and so often we wish we would have known then,  what we know now.  On your journey do you ever take time to reflect on what your parents taught you?  Right from the start, it is so important for everyone and especially for our children to know how special we all are in God’s eyes.  I can remember my father telling me that God made me so special. AS IS! I didn’t have to do anything extra to gain His love, I already had it.  God loves me just the way I am!  As I grew older, my father also taught me to reach for the stars in everything I wanted to accomplish. (He added if you fall a little short, it’s ok because you were aiming really high) Give your kids this opportunity.  Do you tell them how special they are?  Not because they are doing the things you want them to do and achieving the things the world wants them to achieve, rather because God made them in His image and likeness…and He made them out of love, for love!!

As we begin this Joy of the Family blog, take a moment to look in the mirror.  Look at yourself the same way God sees you and smile because He is smiling.  He made you just the way you are, and He loves you just the way you are.  Take time and reflect. Do you know how much God loves you?  You are His beloved! You are His beloved Son or beloved Daughter! Go and tell your family, especially your children, how special they are.  They don’t have to do a thing for Jesus to love them, He loves them just the way they are. We are called to share this Good News with everyone we meet, so we can be faithful disciples of Christ.  

How special we are to be in this life, knowing God and knowing His infinite love.  Doesn’t it make you want to know Him better?  Spend time this week with God…sit in silence and just reflect on God’s creation. Open up His Word to read His messages to You.  If you still can’t hear Him…try inserting your name in each of the scriptures.  “See what love the Father has bestowed on _____ that he/she may be called a child of God.  Yet, so You are….”

1 John 3:1 See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God.  Yet, so we are.  The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for woe!

Romans 5:8 But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.