We miss the mark by thinking God’s love for us depends on how we are or what we do. Many think they must change before God with love them. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Believe it or not, God loves the “real” us! Now we might want to make some changes in our lives, but not to earn God’s love.
We live in a society that constantly tells us we are not lovable. Media bombards us with subliminal messages that we aren’t thin enough, pretty enough, smart enough, talented enough, good enough and so on. We evaluate ourselves by some very lofty, unattainable standards. Let’s face it – even the most beautiful movie star is air brushed and sometimes enhanced when they appear on a magazine cover.
These false criteria can lead us to have poor opinions of ourselves. What we think about ourselves can influence how we live our lives. This is sad, because what we think about ourselves, what others think about us and what we think others think about us can all be inaccurate gauges of reality. There will always be someone better looking, more popular and thinner than us and guess what? That’s okay. God created you to be you and me to be me.
I think there is some wisdom in what Oscar Wilde said. “Be yourself – everyone else is already taken.”
Our self worth should come from what God thinks of us – and God loves us. God doesn’t love us because we are pretty, smart, wise, talented or good. He loves us the “real” us. We don’t have to earn God’s love or our salvation. Salvation is a gift from God. (Ephesians 2:8) If it were based on our actions, we would try to take the credit. We would think our good deeds earned us salvation.
How wise God is! He knew we could never be good enough to deserve his love, so he just gives it to us. Martin Luther once wrote, “The most damnable and pernicious heresy that has ever plagued the mind of man is the idea that somehow he could make himself good enough to deserve to live with an all-holy God.”
In New Testament times people kept thinking they needed to do something to earn God’s free grace. Such was the case with circumcision. Paul wanted to set the record straight. Becoming circumcised would not earn God’s love. That way of thinking devalues God’s gift. (Galatians 5)
Consider this…God loves us so much he sent his son to die for us that we might be saved. We did not earn this love. It was freely given. (John 3:16; Romans 5:8)
People spend a lot of time perfecting an image, so they will be “loveable.” I guess it’s hard to believe that someone could love the “real” us, but God does. And he longs to have a relationship with the “real” us. I know it’s hard to believe but God knows our weaknesses and frailties, and loves us anyway. We don’t have to pretend to be something we are not.
So let’s get “real” with God and let him lavish his real love on us.
Suggestions for practicing this choice…
- Don’t try to be something you are not – be yourself. Everyone else is taken.
- Don’t use the fact that God loves you regardless as an excuse to be a jerk.
- Remember this…God loves you unconditionally, but he also loves the other guy, too.
- Since God loves that other guy why not try to love him, too, and cut him a little slack now and then.
- Every once in a while say, “Thank you God for your love!”
