God Proclaims Us Worthy
One of the battles we tend to fight in life is with our own identity and insecurities. I love how Wikipedia describes insecurity as “a feeling of general unease or nervousness that may be triggered by perceiving of oneself to be unloved, inadequate or worthless (whether in a rational or an irrational manner).” This description is something many of us can relate to. These feelings of inadequacy seem to create an ever present need in our culture to prove ourselves.
One key truth that we celebrate (and constantly need to remind ourselves of) is – we are saved by grace through faith alone. God justifies us. This means he makes us acceptable or worthy as people. This is extremely counter-cultural. So much of our perceived value comes from measuring up to our own or someone else’s standards. We don’t look good enough, make enough money, wear the right clothes, associate with the best people. In today’s society it is our accomplishments that determine our value. But in God’s eyes it is what God has done in sacrificing Godself for us that determines our value as people.
The result of this cultural influence of “always having to prove ourselves worthy” is that our identities are tightly wrapped up in what we do, achieve, look, or possess. This is one of the reasons that our insecurities have such a grip on us. Too often we are trapped by our insecurities because our perceived value as people can change according to the whims of society or the expectations of others.
Since God has already declared us worthy, we don’t have to earn value by proving ourselves to others. God has already proven that we are people of significance.
The challenge that we face today as God’s people is what voice do we want to listen to? Do we listen to the world and continue on the treadmill of always having to prove ourselves? Or do we take time to learn to listen to God’s voice that openly proclaims that we are loved, justified, and been given the promise of eternal life. I realize that many of our insecurities are deeply rooted inside of us. A great benefit of having a relationship with God is how patient God is in helping to transform our minds. We are not alone as we endeavor to wrap our identities in the truths that God has proclaimed about us. Jesus once said “Come to me all you who are tired and overburdened – and I will give you rest.” One of the key parts of the “rest” that Jesus offers us is the chance to become satisfied with ourselves. To rejoice at who we really are and to be free from pretending to be what we are not.
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