TERRI K: SELF ESTEEM!!!

As a child, I was racked with loneliness, craving acceptance and approval. In everything I did, I had an underlying fear that people wouldn’t like me or that I wasn t good enough. I longed to know God but didn’t know how. I even placed an apple on my nightstand one evening and said to the Lord, "OK, God, if you’re real then eat this apple while I sleep!" God didn’t like apples, I guess.

As a young teenager, I went to a Christian camp one summer. On our way home, my friends and I stayed in a lakeside cabin, where we had access to a rowboat. The air, I remember, was so warm on my face, and the lake so still as we gently rowed along the shoreline.I saw the Lord stretching out His hands to me. He said, "Come and follow Me." Right there, in an old wooden rowboat, I gave Jesus control of my life and placed my future in His hands.
An amazing peace and joy filled my heart. I felt so free and could hardly wait to tell everyone at home what happened to me.But things did not turn out as I had expected. My problems didn’t all disappear. There was no "happily ever after" for a shy teen who had trouble fitting in.
My heart began to fill with bitterness, then anger, then hatred. Then fear. I trusted very few people–certainly no adults! Disillusioned, I rejected God. Anxiety gripped me for many years.
Marriage, I thought, would fill in the missing pieces of my life. Sadly, my husband looked to me for the same thing. In a relationship, two halves do not make a whole and neither of us were whole. In my pain, I began to seek God again. This time, there was no holding back. I pursued a strong, devoted relationship with Him. Then, after 12 years of marriage, my husband left me to raise three young children on my own. Though I faced an uncertain future as a single parent, I knew God was going to look after us, no matter what.

Two Bible verses became my lifeline for many years:
"I know the plans I have for you, [Terri]. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11).
"For your Maker is your husband–the Lord Almighty is his name–the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth" (Isaiah 54:5).
Today, I’m learning to trust God for everything. He has faithfully provided for all my family s needs and more in miraculous ways. He has given me security, love, peace, joy and purpose. I look forward to each day as He works in and through my life.
Take a look at your life. How would you describe it? Contented? Rushed? Exciting? Stressful? Moving forward? Holding back? For many of us it’s all of the above at times. There are things we dream of doing one day, there are things we wish we could forget. In the Bible, it says that Jesus came to make all things new. What would your life look like if you could start over with a clean slate?

Living with hopeIf you are looking for peace, there is a way to balance your life. No one can be perfect, or have a perfect life. But every one of us has the opportunity to experience perfect grace through a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.
You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer. Praying is simply talking to God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. Here’s a suggested prayer:
Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be.

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? You can pray it right now, and Jesus Christ will come into your life, just as He promised.
Is this the life for you?
If you invited Christ into your life, thank God often that He is in your life, that He will never leave you and that you have eternal life. As you learn more about your relationship with God, and how much He loves you, you’ll experience life to the fullest.