The Lord wants us to reconsider our downward spiraling attitude about ourselves. i don’t mean lifted up in pride being arrogant and boastful about how great we are, but lifted up by the goodness of God which is humbling, and uplifting all at the same time.
When i went to high school, within the culture of high school in general, there were all these little sub-cultures. There were the athletes, the athlete-wannabe’s, the popular girls and popular girl-wannabe’s, the middle people who weren’t popular or unpopular – just kind of non-distinct. And then there was the lower echelons, some were farm kids who were typically pretty good kids but tough as nails, and then, yes, and then there were those who found identity in the hippy-type posers. We wore bell bottom jeans, refused to wash sometimes, and pretended to rebel against authority. That is… until authority came knocking on our door, then we quickly hid behind our parents who we previously told people we hated. We didn’t make good grades, we didn’t do our homework, we acted like we resented class, reading, learning, or anything which we felt was an imposition. i was one of those. i made d’s and few f’s, and i wore them, outwardly as a badge of rebellion, but inwardly i was continually crushed by the dishonor of my poor grades. It’s an absolute miracle i graduated. Maybe the teachers just wanted me to go away, i don’t know. i felt stupid, and little by little i became as i felt. i saw myself as a “d” person, going “d” places with other “d” people, having “d” conversations, doing “d” things for “d” reasons. i operated on a “d” and “f” platform, and was clueless about so much. Hey, i just wanted to fit in someplace, and it was easiest to fit in at the bottom of our little sub-culture.
Later in life, as i reached the bottom of everything, in general, as an alcoholic and a drug addict, i met Jesus. Well, let me tell you, yes it was life changing, but He didn’t change my victim mentality and all of my grief’s right away. Little by little, i learned to become responsible for my actions. Inch by inch life did began to change, until one day i had the brilliant idea to discover how God saw me, and i want to tell you what He told me. i found out that God, actually, has a lot to say about what he thinks about us.
One of the first things is “you are prized and treasured”, valuable. He gave us His breath so we could breath and created us in His image and reflection. He knows the number of the hairs on your head, and says you are more valuable than the sparrows, valuable enough He gave His life, and that’s saying something. He has, oh this is good, has crowned you, yes you, with glory and honor and calls you the pinnacle of creation. Yes, yes, yes, i know you know you fall short, children of wrath and corruption, but in stunning gestures of love He gave it to us to believe in Christ if we want out of dying and death with all the falling down in between. Our state of fallen grace doesn’t have the last word. Grace does.
He says you are no longer orphans, alone in the dark, held in a prison cell made only for violent offenders, but He calls you His own.
Ok, now the next one is really important, so let’s get it worked down in our head. If you have asked the Lord to take over your life, then you really need to know…He says you… are… new. The old has passed away and the new has come. You are no longer a slave to wrongness of character and as weightless as a shadow. Again, if you have believed in Christ as Lord, then God says you are now righteous in His sight…no sir, no condemnation for you.
And as if that wasn’t enough, He gave you His Holy Spirit so you don’t have to live under your own power and dismal understanding, and He is with you, God is on your side! The Lord promises He will guide you into all truth, and all means all. He also promises to help you do what He says, and even, yes even empower you to do His work. He didn’t say you’d just be changed, He said you’d be transformed! You may say, “well, i’m just not seeing it.” Ok, then let’s ask Him to open your eyes to see Him and to see you through His eyes. Ask Him, what have you got to lose?
Not only is God so, so very confident in His ability to get you where you need to go, He has even given it to you to go forward in a manner that is worthy of your calling, representing Him in all He is. Oh yea, You, are a citizen of Heaven and an ambassador of Christ.
Now, you may not believe all that. You may say, “I am so unworthy, I don’t deserve such goodness.” You’re right! But aren’t we lucky that the Lord didn’t ask us if we thought we were worthy, He just said we are and didn’t ask us if it was ok.
Let this sink down into your head. How God sees you supersedes how you see you. You are not a slave, not, not, not, and if you think you are and “that’s just the way it is because i’m so bad and far away”, the Lord is reaching out to you saying “My friend, it doesn’t have to be that way. i have made a way for you to be free.”
What do you think? Consider, life may not have worked out well, so far, believing “i’m just a “d” and “f” kinda person, so i’m sorta’ resigned to living a “d” and “f” life”…. why not take a chance with God and do something different?