In Silver linings, Terry Lees shares: Years ago, one of my loved ones shared an amazing experience. Due to a crisis in her life, she felt depressed, suffering low self-esteem. 

While at work filling the cereal shelves of a supermarket, a loved one came across a small card deliberately placed. The front side read: To the person who finds this card. You are LOVED … On the rear was written: …and you have incredible value.

Those few words, a simple gesture from some unknown Good Samaritan, sent her spirits soaring, resulting in a complete change of attitude that lifted her from depression to positive expectancy and joy. You are LOVED … and you have incredible value.

Terry claims that your relationship with yourself is the most defining factor in shaping the kind of life you live. Listen as Terry explores love.

Listen to the episode below, or continue on to read the transcript.

Episode Transcript:

In the Bible, in the First Letter of John, the author writes: “See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are.” [1 John 3:1]

Years ago, one of my loved ones shared an amazing experience. Due to a crisis in her life, she felt depressed, suffering low self-esteem. While at work filling the cereal shelves of a supermarket, she came across a small card deliberately placed. The front side read: To the person who finds this card. You are LOVED … On the rear was written: …and you have incredible value.

Those few words, a simple gesture from some unknown Good Samaritan, sent her spirits soaring, resulting in a complete change of attitude that lifted her from depression to positive expectancy and joy. You are LOVED … and you have incredible value.

Best-selling author, Robin Sharma, wrote: “It is only when you have mastered the art of loving yourself that you can truly love others.”

The goal of being you in an authentic way is about loving yourself in a generous way. If we truly love ourselves, most of what we worry about and even much of what we strive for in life becomes meaningless. Sure, there may still be some worries, and we’ll continue to have goals, dreams, and desires. However, from a place of true self appreciation and self-love, the fear behind our worries and the motivation for our goals dramatically changes from something we need to avoid or produce to be accepted and valued, to something we’re genuinely concerned about or really want to accomplish.

Your relationship with yourself is the most defining factor in shaping the kind of life you live. The less you love yourself, listen to yourself, and understand yourself, the more confused, angry, and frustrating your reality will be. Yet when you begin and continue to love yourself more, the more everything you see, everything you do, and everyone you interact with, starts to become better.

God created humankind in his image; in the image of God he created them [Genesis 1:27].

Can it get any better than that? The Book of Psalms tells us we are fearfully and wonderfully made – You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are your works! [139:13-14].

Once you’re grateful for the blessings of your life, the more readily you’ll accept who you are and what you’re feeling – a crucial principle of being able to truly love yourself.

The love you crave is already in your heart. You are love and you can radiate that love to others. Because I am love, I can choose to show love. Acknowledge the great love God has for you by sharing it with each person whose path crosses yours.

Marianne Williamson has wise advice: Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light, not our Darkness, that most frightens us.

Love is the GREATEST – of that there is no doubt.

Advent is a fascinating, beautiful season of the Liturgical Year, a time we experience transforming newness and sincerity. It is a season of waiting, with positive expectancy, for the coming of our Saviour, Jesus the Christ.

People prepare for Christmas in different ways. For some it is a time for family reunions, for others a time of increased business when people travel more and shop more. We too join the world to prepare to celebrate Christmas as a social event. Yet the best preparation for the event is the spiritual preparation. We prepare ourselves to celebrate the event when God assumed our nature to take our sins away and to enable us to share in his divine nature.

God created humanity from love, with love, for love and in giving us the gift of free will, God knew, even before the beginning of time, we would need a Saviour and loved us so much we were given that Saviour. Jesus, the Lamb of God, came to reconcile us with God.

Even before the Cross and the Resurrection, our salvation is already accomplished in the figure of a vulnerable, powerless, and dependent newborn infant, the God come to be among us in grace and glory. He was fully human, with all the needs and emotions that are common to us all. Yet he was also fully God, all wise and all powerful.

Love can only be passed on and shared. Love is sharing and giving. You are you for a reason – and God loves you! I am LOVED … and I have incredible value!

I am convinced that (nothing) …… will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. [Romans 8:38-39]

Have a golden day and treasure life!

Look for the Silver Lining.

This is Terry Lees