When You Seem Lost From God’s Love

1. Remember you’re truly appreciated. You may never receive sufficient thanks from others, but know Papa God sees and values every single thing you do. “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight” (Heb. 4:13, NIV).
2. Simplify. Determine the top three priorities Papa has assigned to you at this particular season of your life; ruthlessly slash everything from your schedule not related to these three priorities. Woman up and resolve not to be swayed by guilt. “Our purpose is to please God, not people” (1 Thess. 2:4, NLT).
3. Get physical. Move, stretch, spin, run! Get that blood pumping to refresh and rejuvenate. Our bodies were not meant to be stagnant lumps. Studies show that physical activity actually increases energy levels and decreases depression often brought on by burnout.
4. Look for Papa God’s fingerprints every day—proof He’s there, He’s aware and He cares.
5. Tap into a greater strength than your own: Jesus joy, the awesome supernatural joy not based on external circumstances but on internal heart-stances. “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh. 8:10, NIV).

Q: You say you can see God’s fingerprints throughout your day. Can you share an example from your own life?

I call Papa God’s fingerprints on our lives “grace notes.” I borrowed the musical term from my 20 years as a piano teacher because those teensy notes beside the regular musical notes—called grace notes—aren’t essential to the melody, but they add incredible depth and breadth and beauty to the music. That’s what Papa God’s grace notes do in our lives. His everyday touches of grace—His grace notes—prove to us over and over that even the tiniest details of our lives are important to Him and He always has our backs.

Too Loved to be Lost is full of grace notes from my life and the lives of others I know.

Whether it’s miraculously blocking your smoke allergy while you’re sitting next to an unsaved smoker in church, uplifting your rotten mood by the backlit shaft of a sunbeam reaching down to you like Papa God’s fingers from heaven or hearing that special song on the radio at the exact moment you need it, you know without a doubt your heavenly Father cares intimately about you. Grace notes are supernatural touches of grace that can’t be explained logically. I think of them as butterfly kisses from Papa.

Q: Women often feel unaccepted by a group or individual. What advice would you give for these times when we feel rejected and unloved?

When we’re thrust into a Have vs. Have-Not situation and find ourselves on the “Not” side of that invisible acceptance barrier, it’s time to change perspective. We can’t force others to like us, but we can transform ourselves from a humiliated Have-Not to a happy Have-Not. How? When we’re feeling unloved and unlovable, we need to CUDDLE:

C: Climb up into Papa God’s lap. Just like when you needed reassurance as a little girl, climb into the warm, soft embrace of the One who loves you. Papa’s enveloping arms are always ready to welcome you. Press your head to His chest. Feel His heartbeat. Know you are cherished.

U: Unload. Drop that heavy load you’re lugging around. Feelings of low self-worth are exacerbated by fatigue. Give your constipated calendar an activity enema. Take control of your energy-sapping schedule before it controls you.

D: Daydream. Yep, you have permission to fly away mentally. Now that you’ve physically unloaded, emotionally unplug. Dare to imagine. Open up a window of happiness.

D: Dance to the music deep in your soul. Laugh as you twirl in the rain. Play. Frolic. Get back in touch with the freedom of pure joy.

L: Let go of your imagined unworthiness. It’s an ugly lie. You are heard, understood and treasured by the only One who really matters. Reject rejection. Know this: Jesus will never, ever reject you. He thinks you’re to-die-for.

E: Evolve into a higher being. Stop being so hard on yourself. Resolve to treat yourself as your own best friend. When others see how much you respect yourself, they’ll respect you too.

Q: You share openly in Too Loved to Be Lost about what you consider to be your greatest parenting mistake. What was it, and what can it teach us about God and trust?