In the Quiet

+ J.M.J. When you look in the mirror everyday, what do you see? Let me describe for you my experience. Let me warn you that what you are about to read is a distortion of truth. Trick of Satan! I wake up and wander into the bathroom. I avoid looking at my reflection because, you know, I'm not beautiful. As I wash my face, I notice each blemish. I notice how much my nose sticks out. All the pores seem huge. Oh, and my face has irritation sometimes. I'm ugly. Not worthy. Undesirable. I put on makeup because, you know, I'm ugly. So I have to try to make some attempt to cover up all the ugliness. It won't help, but I'm supposed to put on makeup to be accepted in public. I carefully apply layers of makeup everywhere. I sigh, not satisfied, and walk out the door. Does this sound familiar? This is what happens to me all too often when I listen to Satan's lies. Sometimes, I don't recognize it's him. I just know that I feel terrible abou

+ J.M.J. Have you ever been hurt before? Stupid question, right? We've all be hurt in one way or another in our lifetimes. Sometimes, the people in our lives do things that hurt us. They say things that hurt our feelings. Maybe they talk to others about us when we're not there. All of this snowballs into making you feel betrayed, hurt, and forgotten. Abandoned. Left to feel only pain. Christ knows how you feel. He was sentenced to die, and was in such agony that He knelt in the Garden of Gethsemane and sweat blood . His closest friends fell asleep and weren't there for Him in His worst hours of need. Jesus knows how sad you are. How hurt you are. How betrayed you feel. How justified your anger is. Guess what? It's Holy Week, the holiest, most important week of the year! Go to Jesus and let Him know how you're feeling. He understands!