Sometimes I'm not very nice--I believe the lies I tell myself. I know I'm not alone, though, for others do this, too.  

I learned lessons about lying when I was young. But its different now. I'm talking about the lies I tell myself--and that you might tell yourself, too. The lies we believe. Maybe some of these sound familiar, lies like: "I'm not good enough, smart enough, deserving enough, ,attractive enough, or not ______ enough (just fill in the blank). With social media and societal expectations, it's no wonder we may question how good we are.     

So, there are lies. But there is truth. Sometimes we can lose sight of the truth, for we don't hold the keys to it. But there is One who does. To seek what is good and true, we need only look up--to God.     

Numerous verses in the Bible speak of truth, but following are two verses in particular that apply to seeking and truth-finding: Jesus' words in Matthew 7:7, "Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."  And in John 8:32, it is written, "And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." These are verses that serve as reminders for me when I get off-track. 

Seeking the truth about ourselves may not get us far; however, when we seek God, who is truth, we will learn of the immense love He has for us. He doesn't see us the way we sometimes see ourselves. He sees the good in us. He sees our foibles, too, but with a repentant heart, we are forgiven. 

God's love surpasses anything that we will ever be able to comprehend. So, if we believe the lies we tell ourselves, we are being deceived, and deception is not of God. And that is the truth! 

God is truth. And God is love. And He loves you very much!
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Heroes. We all have them. When I was five, it was Mr. Green Jeans on Captain Kangaroo. When I was thirteen, it was heart throb Mark Lindsay of Paul Revere and the Raiders. Later, my heroes were more realistic: my high-school counselor whose compassion never wavered, even while dying of cancer. Then there was the elderly nurse manager whose heartfelt words gave me the encouragement I needed to go into nursing. Later, my heroes were my parents, whose sage advice, love and guidance made my road of rough edges just a little smoother. There are others, too, who have been--and still are--my heroes. 

So, what is a hero? For most, it is someone whom we highly regard and look up to with admiration. Someone we'd like to emulate. Someone who has seemingly perfect insight, intelligence and wisdom, someone who has the ability to overcome most any obstacle. To us it seems they are perfect and flawless, even though we know that is not humanly possible.             

But there is One who is perfect and flawless, One who knows all, understands all, and to whom no earthly hero could ever compare. However, he was never regarded--or treated--as a hero. Quite the opposite. He was singled out, accused, degraded, humiliated, beaten, and subsequently wrongly sentenced to death. If there ever was a true hero, it was this man, Jesus Christ. He overcame death on the cross. After three days he was resurrected from the dead, ascended into Heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father. Jesus came to do what no earthly Superman or Superwoman could ever do--to save us from the sin of the world.  Jesus Christ. The. One. True. Hero.