Good morning everyone,

Genesis 49:28-All these are the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what their father said to them as he blessed them, blessing each with the blessing suitable to him.

I saw one of my "facebook friends" from high school (who is now a Christian) ask a question to everyone who knows her to be honest about some things she needs to change to get her life back on track. Not being around her for awhile caused me not to say anyhing that could help her. But I saw her comments, and numerous people said blatantly, "don’t change at all you’re perfect", or something like that, not one person gave her any critique!

That to me is why we don’t grow or get our lives back on track, because everyone is afraid to damage someone’s "self-esteem", even if they ask them to! So is self-esteem upheld by being so timid to be honest, that you leave people in their dysfunction even when they are struggling in their life and asking for help with it?

The Bible says, "speak the truth in love". So the truth could be criticism that could potentially crush our self-image, and be good for us if our self image is a lie, or less than who Christ called us to be!

Jacob gathers all his sons around before he dies and tells them the truth about themselves, some without any compliment at all! Yet the Bible says he blessed his children according to what was suitable to them! Meaning that it could be a blessing that someone is criticizing us!

I pray we would continue as God’s people to take time to get in the Word, because the Holy Spirit has no problem telling us the truth about ourselves to bless us, not uphold us by shallow encouragement.

In His Love, Ld