"BELIEVE" was the theme of UGM's Annual Banquet this year. The event was full of amazing stories of life transformation: men and women changed from the inside out when they stopped believing lies and started believing the truth.
The lies ran along familiar themes: You're stupid. You need to be perfect. Asking for help is weakness. You're all alone. No one understands. No one will ever understand. You are unlovable. You don't measure up and you must measure up in order to be loved. You need to try harder. A temporary escape through alcohol/drugs/sex/food/work is the best you can hope for in this life.
The truth, which is so deep and wide that you can spend your whole life exploring and digesting it, can also be expressed simply: Life only makes sense within the context of God's great love, and you don't have to earn it. You couldn't if you wanted to. Believe the truth: God loves you just as you are.
This week also marked the death of Brennan Manning, whose books all centered on that truth. The video below will give you a taste of what he sought to communicate to all of us who long to be loved.
~Barbara Comito, UGM staff writer
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Barbara Comito, former marketing director
You don't measure up and you must measure up in order to be loved. You need to try harder. A temporary escape through alcohol/drugs/sex/food/work is the best you can hope for in this life.