“The LORD is my Shepherd [to feed, to guide and to shield me], I shall not want. He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still and quiet waters. He refreshes and restores my soul (life); He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the [sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort and console me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You have anointed and refreshed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, And I shall dwell forever [throughout all my days] in the house and in the presence of the LORD.” PSALMS‬ ‭23:1-6‬ ‭AMP‬

Do you ever feel as though most good things that happen in life seem to be followed by something not so good? Or, just when you believe you see a light at the end of a particularly dark tunnel, something rolls into your path that makes that light dim? I am still learning to cope with the never-ending attacks the enemy throws at my spirit. I understand that his goal is to keep me from enjoying the blessings God continues to place in my life. His goal is to make me question my own worth and buy into the lies that counter everything God tells me.

Wherever God shines light in our lives, Satan will be right there to throw shadows intended to intimidate and confuse our interpretation of what we see. There is a constant effort to make us question our capabilities, take advantage of our most devastating heartaches, and steal every genuine moment of joy we’re meant to experience. Every negative thought we have about ourselves is a thought the enemy is using to steal our joy and weigh down our spirits.

If you’ve ever walked in the woods at certain times of day, you may have experienced some unsettling shadows here and there. Even walking through your own home in the late hours of the night, you can find yourself instinctively uneasy about a dark space or shadowed corner of very familiar territory. That’s what our adversary does within the confines of our mind. We’re strolling through our day, when suddenly a shadow crosses our mind and we feel like our clothes are insufficient, or we’re not attractive enough, or we weigh too much, or we’re not good enough at our job. The list of internal grievances is endless. They’re also crap.

With God at the center of our lives, our self worth reliant on nothing more than the fact that we are His children, we can let go of everything else and keep our focus on living the life He wants us to lead. We ALL have gifts. Every one of us. Those gifts have nothing to do with how we dress, what we drive, what size we wear, how much money we make, or any other worldly measure. God has given us all natural abilities and He has anointed us to use them to bless our brothers and sisters in this world.

Figure out what it is that you do which brings you joy and touches your heart. There are things you do that come very naturally to you, which others find amazing. Find ways to do those things as often as you can. Touch as many lives as possible with those natural gifts…whether you’re able to sing, anticipate a need and answer it without being asked, listen to people and help them find solace in difficult times, or offer motivation and encouragement to those who are having a hard time moving forward. Whatever you do, make sure you do it with love and an unselfish heart. Just as I believe Jesus walked through what He did and willingly gave up His life out of love for us, we need to walk through our lives and willingly do what we can out of that same kind of love.