I want you to ask a couple questions of yourself:
What do I value about myself personally? Think about your character qualities, traits, gifts, and abilities. Perhaps you’re smart, funny, or empathetic. Perhaps you’re artistically or orally gifted. Maybe you’re a natural leader or a hard worker.
What do I value about myself spiritually? Think about the Christian disciplines and works that you maintain in relation to God and other people. Perhaps you’re a prayer warrior. Perhaps you’re passionate about reading and teaching the Bible. Maybe you’re the kind of person that goes out of their way to serve others and proclaim the gospel to the lost.
Great friendships are built off of the values, interests, and attributes we share with one another. As people and Christians, we all have several great qualities that stand out personally and spiritually. Our friends and the people in our lives appreciate us because of these things. Likewise, we appreciate good qualities in others.
Now comes the question that can ache the soul:
Would people still like me and care about me if I didn’t have my good qualities?
What if I didn’t have a passion and zeal for the Lord? What if I didn’t pray or read my Bible that much? What if I couldn’t play guitar? What if I wasn’t insightful when talking to people? What if I didn’t socialize or reach out to people all that well?
Would people still value me? Would people still care to ask about me? Would people still respect me? Would I respect myself and treat myself well? What would God think of me?
Underneath it all, I’m just a person. I am not merely my intelligence. I am not merely my talents. I am not my disciplines. I am not my hobbies. I am simply me. And what scares me is the idea that people only love what I can do, and don’t actually love me for who I am.
Do you ever feel this way? If so, I want you to sit with this. I want you to wrestle with this. You’re probably thinking at this point that I’m about to present you with some kind of encouraging Bible verse about your value. And of course I am! But first, I want to encourage you to have a conversation with God yourself. Ask Him what He thinks of you. Ask Him about your own value. Ask Him why He loves you. Don’t rush this. And don’t take the easy way out.
Oftentimes, we want to slap a Bible verse onto our insecurities and call it a day. But that’s not how we heal. We heal by talking to God, feeling with God, hearing His voice, and carefully contemplating His Word. We need to allow God to take us to that place where we can simply be loved by Him. It’s that place where we can quiet our soul and simply be in His presence. No strings attached. Not doing anything to earn or deserve His love. Simply being loved.
As you spend time with God, know that your personality, qualities, and quirks make you special and unique. Your works and acts of kindness can be a tremendous blessing to God and others. But above all, seek to understand that you are ultimately valuable because God says you are.
In closing, here are some deep truths to reflect upon. I encourage you to click on a couple of the highlighted verses and read them fully.
You are created in God’s image (Gen. 1:26-27).
God knew you before you were born (Jer. 1:5).
God himself knit you together in your mother’s womb (Ps. 139:13-14).
Before the foundation of the world, God chose you and predestined you to be His adopted child (Eph. 1:4-6).
God says you’re worth more than many sparrows (Mat. 10:29-31).
God loved you even when you were an ungodly sinner (Rom. 5:6-8).
No comments:
Post a Comment