What We Believe Matters

The mountains raised me. Their winds swept down hollows and into tree-lined streets, standing watch over thousands of university students increasing footholds into adulthood. Formative years, shaping values and core beliefs, took place in city neighborhoods listening to music from ice cream trucks and in country fields hearing echoes of children’s laughter.

Rooted in rocky soil, I knew the love of family, friends, and God. Neighborhood children and parents, schoolmates and families, and church communities held invisible belay lines safeguarding journeys through love, loss, and triumphs.

Along the way, false narratives can enter tiny frames, spewing lies, stating you’re not good enough or smart enough or (fill in the blank). Mistranslations and years later and soon -you’re just not enough. We all hear it, but some believe it.

Various people get lost in words and begin reacting to life instead of thriving in life. They fear instead of flourishing, and float through time on the breath of hot air from others instead of the breath of God. They lose identities and can’t find foundational truth.

Truth or lies. We have the choice to hear and to believe. Yet what are we believing? Who are believing in? Both truth and lies can change hearts and dictate actions. Which would you choose? What doesn’t matter is when we learned God’s truth, whether as a child or an adult. His words don’t change. His truth doesn’t alter. Choose God’s light over anything and instead of everything else.

Speak truth over yourself today. Tell yourself that you matter. You matter to God. No matter what you did. No matter. Don’t create false narratives based on lies.

“But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

-Romans 5:8 CSB

How do we answer lies? How do we respond when life knocks us down? When circumstances are bleak and situations bring tears? When people hurt us, toss us away, treat us like we don’t matter, or don’t want us, our talents or our gifts?

We listen to the voice of the God who matters.

“Imprint these words of mine on your hearts and minds, bind them as a sign on your hands, and let them be a symbol on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”

-Deuteronomy 11:18-19 CSB

We must know the words of God to carry them in broken hearts. We must hear His voice in our souls so His truths will soar above the voices of others. When we love Him with our hearts, souls, and minds, we’ll grasp how to love others as ourselves (Matthew 22:37).

When we understand His truths; when we know how much we matter to Him; we live in worship. Our action is love expressed in life, not in reaction to music, bands, or songs; not as reaction to pop culture messages; not as reaction to anything man created. When we love God because of His great love for us, our action is demonstrated in worship. Our posture is displayed as humility. Our worth is defined in Christ.

God transforms our lives. Past words can’t anchor us when God is our anchor. Past actions can’t weigh us down when God’s love lifts us up.

Believe in God and act like it. Let’s not react to false words or good staging. Let’s live the abundant lives God promised. Lives exceeding our expectations and rising above the misrepresentations of others. His breath provides the power to confronting lies you believe as well as lies from others.

What we believe matters, and Who we believe in matters most.