God's Word is the Truth. And His Truth says you are a holy and dearly loved child of your heavenly Father. You are wonderfully made. You are a treasure. You are beautiful. You are fully known by Him and lavishly loved by Him. You are chosen. You are special. You are set apart. No matter what you've done or what's been done to you, these words of God are true about you.

But it is a rare and beautiful thing when we choose to offer love in situations when most people would choose to scorn or ignore.

I may not be gentle by nature, but I can be gentle by obedience. If — and only if— I equip myself with predetermined biblical procedures that I can rely on when I start to feel the great unglued coming on.

Anything that infuses us with humility is good. Even if it feels a bit like humiliation in the moment, the workings of humility within are a gift.

I have to remember that giving honor reveals more about my character than the character of the other person.

We need to keep a gauge on our hearts so we can process, clarify, and understand our lives and relationships more deeply.

8Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. 9Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

Humility can't be bought at a bargain price. It's the long working of grace upon grace within the hurts of our hearts. Humility

It's not bad that I'm vulnerable, but am I displaying a mature form of my vulnerability?

The fruit of the Spirit (the evidence of God's Spirit being in you) is a list of godly characteristics: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22).

I'm not gentle by nature, but I can be gentle by obedience. I'm not patient by nature, but I can be patient by obedience. I'm not peaceful by nature, but I can be peaceful by obedience.

When people see us, do they see the compassion of their Creator? If so, I guarantee when the enemy sees us he shakes with fear. He isn't scared of the judgmental soul shellacked with a fake sense of perfection. But the compassionate soul who has hurt deeply and come out loving? Yes, she is one of the superstars of God's grand story, and the one you want near you in the battles of life.