17. A TRUTHFUL IMAGE OF MYSELF AND A TRUTHFUL IMAGE OF GOD STRENGTHEN EACH OTHER.
(Before looking at the questions below, take a few minutes to think about this statement. Invite Jesus to speak to you about what He would like you to notice.)
DO YOU EXPERIENCE A TENSION WHEN YOU HEAR STATEMENTS ABOUT YOUR WORTH, THINKING THAT IT MIGHT LEAD YOU TO THINK LESS OF GOD?
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE INCREDIBLE GREATNESS OF GOD DOES IT CAUSE YOU TO FEEL SMALL AND INSIGNIFICANT?
HOW DO YOU FEEL WHEN YOU CONSIDER THAT JESUS DESIRES TO MEET YOU INDIVIDUALLY, WALK WITH YOU, AND BE PRESENT IN EVERY ASPECT OF YOUR DAILY LIFE?
DO YOU BELIEVE THAT YOUR LONGING FOR INTIMACY AND LOVE ORIGINATES IN YOU? OR IS IT POSSIBLE THAT IT IS FROM GOD—HIS SPIRIT SPEAKING IN YOU, CALLING YOU TO HIMSELF?
WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE FOR YOU TO HAVE A HEALTHY, CORRECT IMAGE OF YOURSELF AND AT THE SAME TIME, A HEALTHY AND CORRECT IMAGE OF GOD?
It seems like a common but unhealthy tendency to devalue another's worth to make ourselves seem better. We may even feel this tension in our relationship with God. In order to think well of ourselves, it may seem that we think less of God. Conversely, to think highly of God we might denigrate ourselves.
We may believe that God's greatness is shown by his love for our worthlessness. To quote the Apostle Paul, "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8, NIV). There are plenty of scriptures, songs, religious traditions, and writings, that remind us of how undeserving we are of God's favor. But we must hold tension between the fact that in God's eyes, we may behave badly but our behavior does not change our worth.
A truthful image of ourselves knows that though we often fail to live according to God's design, our value in God's eyes does not change. Our sin is real, our guilt is uncontested, but our value is not changed. It might be that guilt is the evidence of our recognition of the incongruence between our worth and our behaviors. Our challenge then is to have an image of ourselves as greatly valued and worthy, and at the same time have an image of God that deserves our worship. Consider the following statements.
When I ponder God's greatness, his creative genius shown in the vastness of the universe and the intricacies of the human soul, it causes me to appreciate how "fearfully and wonderfully made" I am.
When I ponder how "fearfully and wonderfully made" I am, it causes me to stand in awe of my Creator.
When I experience deep love from God, it helps me know just how worthy and valued I am.
When I experience how worthy and valued I am in God's eyes, it helps me value, appreciate, and celebrate God's greatness, grace, and loving-kindness.
When I consider that God is communicating and relating intimately with millions and millions of people, it causes me to stand in awe of God's relational capacity.
When I consider God's ability to communicate and relate intimately with millions and millions of people—and I realize that I am one of them—it causes me to know that I am valued and worthy.
When I hear from God that people don't need to compete or compare with others in order for God to love them deeply and hold them as his beloved, it helps me trust that God is good, impartial, and fair.
When I realize that God is good, impartial, and fair, and that I don't need to compete or compare myself with others to earn his love and favor, it frees me to let go and live into the me he created me to be.
When I think about God sending himself in Jesus, as a human, teaching, sacrificing his life, and rising from the dead, in order to share life with me, it helps me see God as worthy of my awe and worship.
When express my awe to God and worship him for sending himself in Jesus, as a human, teaching, sacrificing his life, and rising from the dead, in order to share life with me, it makes me feel incredibly worthy.
When I reflect on how God has interacted with humanity from creation until now, patiently, gently, gracefully pursuing us and revealing more and more of himself, it gives me a sense of how amazing God is.
When I reflect on how amazing God is in the way he has interacted with humanity from creation until now, patiently, gently, gracefully pursuing humanity and revealing more and more of himself, it makes me appreciate how much God loves me, values me, and sees me as worthy.
When I consider how God connects with me, knowing what I need, anticipating what I long for, and meeting me where I am, I marvel; I am at a loss to convey how great and wonderful he is.
When I think about how wonderful God is for connecting with me, knowing what I need, anticipating what I long for, and meeting me where I am, I realize how much he thinks of me and love me.
The greatness of God and our worth as humans are concepts beyond our capacity to imagine. But seeking to grow our understanding of each can lead us closer to the truth.