Seeing Yourself Through God's Eyes (4 page)
Read Seeing Yourself Through God's Eyes Online
Authors: June Hunt
I am secure because…I am a child of God.
“You are precious and honored in my sight, and…I love you”
(I
SAIAH
43:4).
D
oes anyone care? Do I make a difference in anyone’s life? Do I matter at all?
When the answers seem bleak, it’s important to realize that although few have escaped the painful rocks of rejection, a shipwrecked soul is not at the heart of God’s plan for any child of His. When trials seem unending, when heartaches are hitting wave upon wave, if only we could remember,
This too will pass.
God says, “You are precious and honored in My sight.”
Do you feel precious to God? Do you consider yourself cherished? Even when you feel you are not,
you truly are.
Though at times you’ve been drenched with defeat, God’s love is like the endless tide.
Your compassionate Savior wants you to “know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4).
One of life’s most beautiful and costly wonders is born out of pain and irritation. When a grain of sand slips through the opening of an oyster’s shell, the oyster immediately begins to cover the sand with a substance that eventually develops into one of the world’s exquisite gems—a lovely, luminous pearl. The larger the oyster and the greater the irritation, the larger the pearl and greater the value.
Perhaps a “grain of sand”—an excruciating trial—is causing you painful irritation right now. Remember God has not abandoned you. He has a purpose in allowing trials to invade your life. God’s plan for you is perfect—to produce a pearl of great value.
Even in the midst of a storm, you are safe. Your Savior will protect you from the storm’s destruction.
Jeremy Taylor wrote, “We are as safe at sea, safer in the storm which God sends us, than in a calm when we are befriended with the world.”
3
Trials are purposeful. God can use them to produce in you qualities that could not be cultivated in any other way. As you see yourself through God’s eyes, know you are of great value to Him and He desires the very best for you. He says, “You are precious and honored in My sight, and…I love you.”
Personalize these verses in your own words:
Isaiah 43:2
Jeremiah 29:11
Father, through Your eyes I can see that I…
I am secure because…I am precious in the sight of God.
“He hath made us accepted in the beloved [Jesus]”
(E
PHESIANS
1:6
KJV
).
M
any people have a recording in their minds playing the same song over and over again. The title?
If Only.
The air play?
Top 10!
Not just for weeks, but for years. The most distinguishing feature of this song is its brevity—only one line long. “If only _________, then I might have pleased my dad.” “If only…I had been smarter in school.” “If only…I had been better in sports.” “If only…I had been more like my brother.” “If only…I had been born first.” “If only…I had not been born at all!”
All through our lives, this oneline song continues to play. We even remember the ones from our earliest childhood experiences and keep rehearsing them…an indicator that we are emotionally stuck.
The child who hears, “You’ll never amount to anything” will struggle with self-worth. The child who hears, “I wish you had never been born” becomes performance-based throughout life, trying to prove some sense of importance to everyone. Perhaps the perceived “If it weren’t for you, I’d be happy” theme is the most melancholy melody of all. This kind of rejection ravages the heart of a child…of any age.
Dr. Charles Stanley says most of us value the acceptance of our parents more than any other person. He cites businessmen in their forties, fifties, and even sixties who are still seeking their father’s acceptance and approval…even though their fathers are dead. The little boy inside still cries out,
I’ve got to get my dad to accept me.
While we all make mistakes, in God’s eyes you are no mistake. As a child of God, you are never unacceptable to Him. He says, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).
Jesus understands your innermost feelings when you’ve been rejected. He personally experienced the same kind of rejection from His family. “He came unto his own, and his own received him not” (John 1:11
KJV
). Therefore, who can better empathize with your need for acceptance than your Lord!
Be absolutely assured God never looks at you and says, “If only…” He loves and accepts you, period…just as you are. When you see yourself through God’s eyes, you will exchange those old, warped, worn-out melodies of self-condemnation for the simple but classic refrain:
Jesus loves me! This I know, for the Bible tells me so…Jesus loves me! He will stay close beside me all the way.
4
Personalize these verses in your own words:
Psalm 27:10
Jeremiah 31:3
Father, through Your eyes I can see that I…
I am secure because…I am accepted in the beloved.
“I have summoned you by name; you are mine”
(I
SAIAH
43:1).
H
ave you ever arrived at an airport, train station, or special event and found no one was there to welcome you…to call you by name? Have you ever rushed home with anxious anticipation to share exciting news only to find an empty house and a deafening silence? In the depths of your being, you have a need to feel you are personally known, lovingly cared about, and personally called by name.
Even though it had been several months since I had spoken and sung at a particular Christian retreat, the stinging comments from one significant person had produced acute pain. I was still smarting, as if from a bee sting. When you are stung by a bee, the sting catches you by surprise—the stinger remains, the swelling begins, the skin reddens, and the surrounding area becomes sensitive to touch. My heart felt that same painful sensitivity as I planned to fly back to the location of the retreat. Although mentally I had been preparing myself for the return, I still had a full-blown case of fear—fear I would be hurt again.
A week prior to my departure, I mailed a note to someone who had been especially concerned about me during my time of hurt. I didn’t ask her to pick me up, but I did include my flight schedule with the hope she would read between the lines and be there upon my arrival.
As I deplaned, my eyes searched the airport waiting area for that one familiar face. I wanted to hear a warm, “Hi, June!” but only the drone of a swarming crowd echoed in my ears. Even though I had tried to prepare myself, my heart sank.
Starting toward the baggage area, I suddenly heard a voice…someone called out my name…“June!” Thank You, Lord, she was there! She had been on the observation deck long before the plane had arrived. And now she was calling me by name. Her considerate and concerned voice, her presence, all communicated, “I care about you.” Her coming acted as a healing balm to soothe my not-yet-healed heart.
When situations in your life begin to sting, don’t assume God has forgotten you. He is still watching over you. As you see yourself through God’s eyes, realize your Lord is always there. He is always intimately involved in your life. You are constantly on His mind. He says, “Fear not…I have [called] you by name; you are mine.”
He who counts the stars, and calls them by their names, is in no danger of forgetting His own children. He knows your case as thoroughly as if you were the only creature He ever made, or the only saint He ever loved.
5
—C
HARLES
H
ADDON
S
PURGEON
Personalize these verses in your own words:
Psalm 139:13-16
Father, through Your eyes I can see that I…
I am secure because…I am called by name by God.
“We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death”
(R
OMANS
6:4).
T
he little girl had no one with whom she could identify. She wanted to find her family, but didn’t know how. She searched with all her might.
Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high,
There’s a land that I heard of
Once in a lullaby…
6
In 1939, millions of people flocked to see the unveiling of the first motion picture to be filmed in both black and white and living color.
The Wizard of Oz
featured colors woven throughout the fabric of the story. The motion picture industry would never be the same—this rainbow of colors gave it an exciting new identity.
In a similar way, one who is baptized in Christ will never be the same. The word
baptism
is black and white for many people, clearly understood and recognized as a vital step of obedience in their Christian walk. To others, its image has become a muddy gray…a convoluted mixture of misunderstood concepts and misapplied doctrine. Yet when you correctly understand the meaning of
baptizo,
the New Testament Greek verb for “baptize,” you will see a panorama of living color unfold before your very eyes.
For centuries, when people immersed a piece of cloth (Greek,
baptizo)
into a dye, that resulted in a change of identity. A bland muslin fabric would be transformed into a brilliant blue or radiant red cloth suitable for any number of important uses.
Do you realize when you were “buried with Christ through baptism,” you actually received a
change of identity?
Although you are still made of the same material, your new identity with Christ permeates the very fabric of your soul and spirit.
Your
spiritual
baptism takes place the moment you are saved, as you are instantaneously identified with Christ. Later,
water
baptism takes place as an outward symbol of what has happened inside you.
Your water baptism symbolizes a progression of three pictures:
• Standing in the water represents your old life.
• Being lowered under the water represents the death and burial of your old life—the washing away of your sins.
• Being lifted up out of the water represents your new life in Christ.
You are now baptized into Christ, and you are lifted into a colorful new life…into a new family…into a
new identity.
All about you is new!
Personalize these verses in your own words:
Galatians 3:26-27
Colossians 2:9-12
Father, through Your eyes I can see that I…
I am secure because…I am now identified with Christ.
“You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble”