Quotation of the Week

Sometimes we do the things we hate. And sometimes we get confused and begin to hate ourselves for the things we’ve done.

There is a world of difference between ‘walking in the light’ while confessing our sins (1 John 1.7-10) and letting our sins define our identity. While it is appropriate to mourn our sin (Matthew 5.4), it is not appropriate to hate ourselves.

In the heat of the moment of regret and shame, we can almost think that self-loathing is good and right and biblical (after all, we have offended a Holy God and become unclean!). But in truth, God never calls us to hate ourselves.

The truth is that God loves us (John 3.16, 1 John 4.10). And the only one who loves our self-loathing is Satan.

Julian Freeman

First Day Back After Vacation

There are few days in my life when I am more pathetic than the first day back to work after vacation. My personal pity party is quite something to behold. What is lacking is a good old dose of perspective to remind me that my "griefs" pale in comparison to what most of the world faces each day. It took a comic strip to give me that perspective this morning.