Let me ask you a few questions. What do you think God thinks of you? What do you assume God feels when you come to His mind? Do you think He is disappointed with you? Do you think he is not satisfied with your life choices? Do you think that He has turned His face from you and isn’t proud of you? Do you think he has removed his love and presence in your life until you get your life “right"?
There are many times in my life that I wonder if God can see me or if he is even near me? I wonder what He thinks about my life, my decisions, and my heart. I wonder if I am truly loved by Him? Is He pleased with me?
We all experience the conditional love of others. Will I be accepted today? Are others for me or against me? Have I performed well enough to gain the acceptance of others? We oftentimes form God’s view of us based on how others treat us.
We listen to the lies that flow through our heads: I am not good enough for someone to love me. I have nothing to offer. I’m a failure. There is nothing special about me.
The reality is that: God. Adores. You. He adores you. How does that statement make you feel? Where does that statement make your mind wonder? Do you turn to all the reasons why this can’t be true?
In our English vocabulary the word ‘Adore’ means (1) To love and respect someone deeply, (2) To like, to love, to be very fond of, to be devoted to, to hold dear, to cherish, and to prize above others. None of the definitions captures the love God has for us that is described in Psalm 139. In fact, when you read Psalm 139 we see an even deeper love and adoration for you and me.
Is there anything you could do to make God stop loving you? Are you addicted to performing and pleasing others? Do you isolate yourself from others when you realize you can’t keep performing well?
At some point you and I will experience a time in life where we cannot do it all. Life will come crashing down around us. We assume that God doesn't want to have anything to do with us. We may even blame God for all that is happening to us.
Then we will seek to perform again to earn His love and acceptance.
Self Trust + Performance = Pride
Brokenness + Dependence = Surrender
Self Trust – I can do it on my own.
Performance – I don’t make mistakes.
Brokenness – I need help. I can’t do it on my own.
Dependence – I leave it in God’s hands.
God never bases His acceptance and love of us on our performance or completion of a set of tasks. Pride, on the other hand, is founded upon performance.
David Benner wrote in his fabulous book Surrender to Love, “The Father's love reflects the Father's character, not the children's behavior. My behavior-whether responsible or irresponsible-is beside the point. Responsible behavior does not increase the Father's love, nor does irresponsible behavior decrease it.”
Take some time today to either Google search or read in a bible Psalm 139. The truth is God adores you. As you read, reflect on these truths.
- God is always with you (vs 1-6).
- God is tenderly guiding you (7-12).
- God made you with great purpose in mind (vs 13-16).
- God is constantly thinking about you. (vs 17-18)
- God will bring you justice in His perfect time (vs 19-22).
- God has completely forgiven you (vs 23-24).
I want to challenge you and close with one final thought from the book Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, “Far from being a sign of weakness, only surrender to something or someone bigger than us is sufficiently strong to free us from the prison of our egocentricity. Only surrender is powerful enough to overcome our isolation and alienation.”
I want to invite you to embrace the truth that God adores you. Let this truth wash over you as you take the risk to surrender to Him.
My dream is to help you live out your calling and thrive. I believe that your best days are before you…not behind you. We all need a little coaching, encouragement, wisdom, and help from time to time. We can’t accomplish our goals in isolation or always on our own. We need each other. It’s time to thrive. Let’s do it together. Remember, you are not alone. Click here to set up a Discovery Coaching call.
Rick