I AM Says, “You are family.”

The holidays are a time for family, friends, and festivities. But for many this time of year stirs feelings of loss and frustration; even depression. The pain of broken relationships, lost love, and regret hangs heavy in the air.

But… you must know that this was not God’s intention. It was never his desire for us to experience the pain and loss of broken fellowship. In the beginning God said in Genesis 1:26 (NASB)

…God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.

OUR image… we are an image, a reflection, a copy of God’s image and likeness. (Not that we will become God’s because we won’t but that we bear his image.) God exists in perfect relationship; Father, Son, and Spirit. In perfect unity, God created us to share his image and likeness. So what I am saying is that God created us to be in relationship. A part of a perfect family; the perfect family. Mankind was meant to experience fellowship – unbroken and perfect relationship.

BUT with the fall came broken relationships. Broken people experience broken relationships. We are all broken.

• Some of us have behaved in a way that has hurt those we love.
• Some of us have said things that have caused a rift.
• Some of us don’t know exactly why a relationship is broken it just is…

The end result of broken relationships is the same for you as it is for me – pain. We long for our relationships to be restored, for what is broken to be made whole but we feel so… so powerless to fix what feels beyond repair. I know the pain of broken relationships. I know what it is to experience a rift in the family that seems like a chasm that can not be bridged. I know what it is to think there is no way, humanly, this situation can ever be resolved.

BUT

I also know that one day what is broken will be made whole. God wants his family to experience unity. While we wait for that day we can pray for restoration. We can pray that as God’s image bearer he would change and soften our hearts and those we love. That he would tender our hearts to forgive while we recognize and take responsibility for our part. That he would allow us to see people as he sees them. We can pray that God would make a way.

While I wait patiently for God to work in me and in those I love, I have come to realize that I must die daily to myself so that God’s (whose image I bear) life can unfold and have its way in me. I am learning the importance of seeing myself “in relationship” with everyone; part of his family. The model of that relationship is servanthood which is founded in love and demonstrated in the perfect unity of the Trinity. I realize that I do not have the power to influence, control, or manipulate another human being into relationship and into returning love. They too must choose to die to themselves and allow God to live and love in them.

To those of you who are waking Thanksgiving morning to an empty house, or sitting at a table with one empty chair, or longing to see children or grandchildren please know this – God knows and he is at work. Know you are part of his family. He is with you. You can lean on him. You can tell him how you feel. You trust him. His timing is perfect. One day he will restore what is broken.

God loves you – I love you – We are family.

I AM Says, “You are significant, beautiful, and valuable at every age.”

Hello Beautiful!

A few days ago I was on the phone interviewing a woman for some work I need done. Her heart and passion for her work inspired me, so I decided to hire her. Somehow during the course of our conversation our ages came up. Soon the tone of my new friend’s voice changed from being full of energy and passion to sounding melancholy. She felt, and I think rightfully so, that culture doesn’t value maturity. Instead, the media and pop culture send the message that aging is bad. Once you reach a certain age your usefulness is gone. The magic number is sixty-five, fifty-five for early retirement. Wisdom and experience are tossed aside in favor of youth and vigor. If that is not enough, we are told that we can (and should want to) reduce the signs of aging by undergoing drastic cosmetic surgery. My friend sighed. She wished someone would stand up and say, ”Women are significant, beautiful and valuable no matter their age!”

What do you think?

Does culture value maturity?

Does aging affect your significance, beauty, or value?

There is good news! In God’s kingdom, age doesn’t matter. We read about one mature woman of significance, beauty and value in 1 Peter 3:3-6, which says:

3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. 4 Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. 5 For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands, 6 like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear. 1 Peter 3:3-6 (NIV)

In this passage, Peter describes how holy women of the past made themselves beautiful. He gives us a specific example to follow in a woman named Sarah. She was the wife of Abraham. God promised Abraham two important things: the Promised Land, and descendants so numerous they would outnumber the stars. The problem was, at over sixty years of age, Sarah was barren and past the age of childbearing.

Sarah’s life was in no way a picnic. Not only did she experience the cultural shame of infertility, but twice she was taken captive by kings who admired her physical beauty; she was disappointed by her husband’s failure to tell the truth; and she endured the insults of her maidservant who bore Abraham his first child. But, all through her trials Sarah remained faithful to God because she believed, according to Hebrews 11:11 (NLT) that God would keep his promise.

Sarah’s life teaches us that our usefulness and significance in God’s kingdom does not diminish with age. (Sarah lived to be 127 years old, but we don’t read about her in Scripture until she is in her sixties.)
Physical beauty does not belong exclusively to the young. Mature women are beautiful and desirable, too. We learn that true beauty comes from an attitude that is submissive and humble, a desire to fearlessly do what is right, and a gentle and quiet spirit–a spirit that holds fast to God despite what we see and feel. As Peter tells us, we know that we are Sarah’s daughters if we do what is right and don’t give way to fear. In other words, we can have that same unfading beauty if we follow her example.

Sarah is a wonderful example of what it means to be a woman of faith. I’ve been very blessed by the many Sarah’s that God has placed in my life. Each one has played a specific and important role in helping me to grow in my relationship with God, and in his purpose for my life. They have poured their experience and wisdom into me. I am the woman I am because of them.

I want to encourage the women in my life and all who may read this post.

You become more and more beautiful as you mature.
Your hope in God gives me hope.
Your faithfulness to God despite your circumstances, inspires and encourages me.
Your wisdom is priceless to me and my spiritual growth.
Like Sarah, you are an example that I can follow.

I want you to know that I AM says, “You are significant, beautiful, and valued” – and so do I.

Good Morning Beautiful Seaside Women!

Welcome to the I AM Says, “You Are…” study!

I had such a great time with all of you last night at the kick off meeting. Your authenticity was inspiring, and your genuine love for one another was very touching. I am excited to see what God does over the next few weeks.

I would like to encourage you to get started today by reading day one. If finding time to read every day is difficult, then try reading five days a week instead of seven. Find a friend to discuss your questions with or post your comments for each day on the blog.

Take your time and do the work. As you do, listen carefully for the voice of God sweetly whispering how much he loves, values, and adores you. Sit in his lap, soak in his words, and know you are the apple of his eye!

Hugs –

CJ

Priceless Beauty

I AM Says, “You Are a Priceless Beauty”.

Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) says, ” For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

You are a masterpiece. A great work of art. A treasure. It is so easy to stand in front of the mirror and find flaws with our weight, hair, or clothes. It is not so easy to stand in front of that same mirror and see yourself as a priceless work of art; perfect in beauty. And yet, the Bible which is God’s written word to us, says you are a masterpiece made by his own hands.

When you go to an art gallery do you stand in front of every masterpiece and pick it apart? Do you find flaws with Mona Lisa’s smile, or the chiseled features of Michelangelo’s David? No! At least most of us don’t. Instead we stand in awe and admire the magnificant work we see in front of us. What if anything stops us from viewing our reflections with the same appreciation? Would you ever dream of calling yourself a masterpiece? Do you see yourself as hand designed by God?

I want to challenge you. The next time you find yourself standing in front of the mirror picking your self apart with your own negative self talk try repeating these simple words: “I am a masterpiece hand made by God. I am unique and beautiful just as I am.” Try seeing youself as the priceless beauty you are.

I AM says ‘You are being prepared for…”

1 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.
2 “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.
3 ”If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am,
there you may be also.John 14:1-3 (NASB)

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about Jesus words to the disciples in John 14. The last few weeks have been difficult for me. I recently lost my Gram. She was an amazing lady; a Bible teacher, a great cook, a spunky lady, but more than anything else, a loving woman who showered her love on me. I made it home in time to talk with her and receive one of her amazing hugs. Her eyes sparkled as she told me she loved me. Then just less than twenty-four hours later she slipped into a coma and passed into the presence of God.

As she lay in that coma, I pulled out my Bible and began to read passages from Revelation, Corinthians, and John. The doctor told us she could still hear us so as I read I expounded on the Scriptures telling her my take on each one. Gram was ever the debater, so with a smile on my face I told her it was nice to tell her what I thought without her challenging me. I must confess, it was her challenging and always asking “is that what it (the Scripture) says or is that your opinion?” that taught me the importance of studying the Bible. She was one who believed in the importance of accurate observation. She taught me well, as now I read and re-read a passage making sure I see exactly what the verse says. I never take someone’s word for it or assume that I know, I go back and the read the Scriptures for myself. I guess she taught me to be like the Bereans who Paul describes in Acts 17:11:

11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. Acts 17:11 (NIV)

As I read to her, I believe the Spirit promoted me to recall the words of Jesus to the disciples in John 14. They were meant as words of comfort to his disciples so as I flipped the pages I realized that this passage was a word of comfort for her. Even if she couldn’t respond to me, I knew that the Spirit within her would hear the words. Sitting on her bed with tears in my eyes, I read the words slowly, personalizing the Scripture just for her:

Do not let your heart be troubled Gram. Jesus says in his Word, “Do not let your heart be troubled and full of fear and anxiety. Just believe. Believe in God and believe in me also. In my Father’s house are many dwelling places, if it were not so then I would have told you. I would have said it in my Word that you have spent your life learning and studying. I go to prepare a place for you. A place specifically designed with you in mind; a place that you will love because everything you love will be there. If I go to prepare a place for you Trudy, then I will come back for you so that where I am you may be also. I want and long to be with you and I am anxiously awaiting your arrival. I have spent your lifetime preparing for you.

Strangely, I felt comforted as I realized that Jesus had been preparing for her. Another thought struck me; according to Ephesians 2:10, God had prepared work for her to do before she was born. While she was working and serving him here on earth, he was preparing for her in Heaven. Now, his daughter Trudy had completed the work he had assigned to her and it was now time to bring her home to Heaven. I can only imagine the beauty of the place that Jesus has personally prepared for her. While losing her here hurts, I know that she is now living in her special dwelling place in the Father’s house. Surrounded by others she loved who went before her, her health fully restored, her blindness gone, her ability to walk restored, and her pain is gone.

Today, Jesus is preparing a place for us to. He is getting everything ready in your room. The picture of Christ preparing for our arrival warms my heart. I imagine him counting the hours as he designs our dwelling place with beauty beyond our imagination.

Most of all, I find comfort in knowing that Jesus is preparing for me because he loves me.

3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.John 14:3 (NLT)

Building on the Truth

Hello Friends,

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my journey to overcome self esteem issues. I did not find true freedom until I embraced what God said was true of me in Scripture. I had to learn it, internalize it and then believe it before I received freedom and healing.

What I learned is that freedom and healing begin when we come to know the truth. And that makes sense after all; Jesus said “You will know the truth and the truth will make you free.” John 8:32 (NASB) The truth is vital to our lives. It reveals to us the character of God, how much he values and loves us, and how he wants us to live. Maybe that is why in Genesis chapter 3 the serpent tries to twist God’s Word – the truth with Eve. The serpent asked Eve in Genesis 3:1, “Did God really say not to eat from any tree in the garden?” Did God really say? Are you sure Eve you heard him right? Are you sure that is what he meant? What did God say after all? Eve clarified…

“From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die

Wait a minute… God didn’t say they couldn’t touch it – Eve added that – and I’ll bet in doing so she confused herself. I can just hear her wondering, “Did I say that or did God? What did God say anyway?”

What happens next is why it is so important for the child of God to know the Word…

” The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

Satan caused Eve to doubt the truth… he caused her to question his Word, his character, and her position and value in God’s kingdom. Let me explain… By saying to Eve “You will not die” – Satan called God a liar. Then he twists God’s character saying that God didn’t want her to become like him… and hadn’t God just one chapter earlier made her in his image and in his likeness? Yes! God’s desire and purpose for Eve was relationship. God loved her! He valued her! He wanted her… and Satan knew and couldn’t stand it. So he undermined… he lied… he twisted… he attacked what God loved most… his kids.

Friends, the enemy is still out there lying to God’s children. He’s still out there prowling around looking for someone else to spring his lies on. He is still looking to twist the truth because he doesn’t want us to be free. That is why we must know the Word. We must know the truth of who God created us to be. We must know how desperately God loves us.

When we know without a doubt the truth we have an answer for the enemy. When the enemy says did God really say… we don’t have to wonder. When the enemy tries to twist the truth and make you feel like you don’t matter to God you can call him what he is – a liar.

Hello!

Hey There!

My name is CJ Rapp and I am just like you. Another gal doing her best to be a good wife, daughter and friend. One of the biggest challenges in my life has been overcoming insecurity and low self-esteem. It hasn’t been easy… in fact my journey has been a long difficult road. Let me tell you a bit of my story.

Growing up I was awkward… about twelve I shot up at least a foot taller than the boys who loved to tease me and call me “Olive Oil”. I started having trouble with my skin and between braces and pimples, well… I just felt ugly. I had trouble in class which made me feel stupid and I struggled socially which made me feel like an outcast. I would often cry myself to sleep at night wondering how I would ever make it through those strange adolescent years. Then just when I felt the most overwhelmed… just when I thought I couldn’t stand another minute of my life, someone told me my sister got the brains and the beauty in the family. Those words were the final straw in a long line word weapons that poisoned my thoughts and wounded my heart. They became my truth and I grew up believing the horrible lie that I had little worth or value; and I lived like it.

At  28 years old I began to follow Christ. I commited my life to him and began to read the Bible. As I read it, I discovered that the words were kind, compassionate, and full of love. The more I read the more I realized that God loved me and that he didn’t think I was stupid, ugly, or worthless. He said in his Word that I was priceless, a masterpiece, a treasure, and that I was his child. He even loved me enough to send his son to die for me. That was shocking! The girl who grew up believing that she had little worth or value was passionately loved and desired by the creator of the Universe?

The more I read the more I realized that in my hands I held the keys to freedom and healing. Not just for me but for other people just like me. Maybe you were hurt by the sting of unkind words. Perhaps words have not been a problem for you, instead living up to cultures definition of beauty has affected your self-esteem. There are tons of struggles that can affect your confidence, self-esteem, and value. No matter what it is that robs you of your security I’m hear to tell you that there is a path to healing and hope. You can overcome the lies that have lodged themselves in your head and heart. You can examine your thoughts and take captive the thoughts that contradict God’s Word.     

Three years ago God called me to write a book that helps people identify negative, harmful thoughts and replace them with the truth or the treasure of God’s Word. I called the book, I AM says “You Are…” . This has been a labor love. A project started so long ago has been focus grouped, rewritten, edited, and now, finally, will be published in mid February. My heart, my soul desire in writing this devotional Bible study is to help other people find the same hope, freedom, and healing that I have found. I want you to know what the God I love has to say about how much he loves and treasures you. I invite you to take this journey with me. I invite you to join in the discussion, ask the tough questions, explore, whatever… this is a safe place. A place where you are valued and loved.

 Looking forward to the journey ahead.

CJ

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