A Little More About How Much God Adores You!
Over a year ago, I was working in a ministry trying to help a young woman I’d gotten to know very well. She is incredibly steet saavy and has an uncanny ability to see through b.s. I love this when it’s directed at other people. When she sees through my b.s…., not so much… On this particular Spring day, we were having a lovely conversation about the weather. Out of nowhere, she asked a brutally honest question that made me examine almost every aspect of how I was living my life. “How are you going to help us, when you have so much going for you and you don’t even respect yourself?”
Of course, I immediately objected. “What do you mean? Of course I respect myself.”
Then came the kicker. “Then why do you let everyone else disrespect you?”
I had no answer. I didn’t know I let everyone else disrespect me. I thought I was following God and putting others first. I thought I was humble. Turns out, I was so used to being disrespected, I didn’t even recognize it.
Thankfully, as I brought all of this to God, I began to recognize the truth of what my friend said. Even more importantly, as I spent time listening to God, I began to realize how much he values me. ME! Cindy Felkel, a burnt out English teacher, writing this blog in my bedroom in Ct. He thinks I’m awesome and he adores me. He loves how excited I get when I meet people. He loves how much I appreciate individuality and recognize the goodness he has put in every person. He is also helping me face the insults I have been wearing as definitions of who I am. For me, the biggie has been: I’m not annoying even though I do annoy people sometimes. As I accept how much he values me, it frees me to help others see their value too. (Even if they call me annoying.)
As I have been exploring this new-found confidence, I’ve discovered something else crazy: The world hates us knowing our value. Everything around us is telling us to find our value in one more thing we need to achieve or own. Even people who are following Jesus, often fall into the trap of thinking we should find our value in conforming and fitting in. As a life coach, I often find the most powerful question for my clients to explore is, “How can you value yourself more in this situation?”
Even as I type this, I can hear echoes of sermons warning against what I’m saying. I can feel the youth pastor from one of my old churches accusing me of falling for the New Age humanistic lie. So, let me be clear. I’m not saying any of us are perfect or we are mini gods walking around with the ability to shape our destiny with our positive thoughts, or whatever. I’m not saying nothing in us needs to change. I’m saying the change should begin with knowing our value to God. Just the fact that so many religious people make that jump the second we start talking about our value, shows how much the world doesn’t want us to value ourselves.
Thankfully, God went to extremes to show us exactly how much he values us. Take a few minutes and seriously reflect on everything Jesus did to show how much he valued human beings. Messed up individuals like you and me. I can’t possibly list all the ways Jesus treasured people, but here are a few of my favorites:
He left heaven, was born as a human, into a poor family where he had to work hard.
He taught women in an extremely patriarchial society where women were not considered worth teaching.
He associated so closely with the outcasts of society that he was constantly criticized as being a “drunkard and friend of sinners”.
He touched people who were considered religiously unclean and had no concern about being associated with their “uncleaness”.
He let a woman with a bad reputation associate with him and then told some religious leaders she understood God’s heart better than they did.
He felt intense sorrow for suffering in the world.
He went out of his way to find some of the most rejected people in society and lift them up. (The man who was living among the tombs, the woman at the well, the woman with continual bleeding, the lepers, the lame man, the blind man)
He told people who were steeped in shame to “Go in peace with God.”
He provided for Peter’s family by giving him a miraculous catch of fish before Peter followed Jesus.
He allowed himself to be beaten, and crucified to somehow restore all of us to have peace with God.
He prayed for us!
He forgave his disciples for abandoning him after he was arrested.
He sent his Spirit to continually remind us how much he treasures us.
After he did all that, he calls us friends and co-heirs. We get to be in on the work of his kingdom.