God's Love

". . . Encircled by God all day long, within whom God is at home." Deuteronomy 33:12 (TM)

God will never love you more than He does at this very moment. Accepting this truth is the key to overcoming feelings of unworthiness. Instead, we pray longer, work harder and vow to do better. But trying harder hasn't helped, has it? That's because trying harder to make God love you more is useless because He already loves you completely! That is the foundation for a positive self-image. Trying harder to make God love you more is like renovating an old house with a cracked foundation: we can redecorate every room but the floors and ceilings will just keep sagging until eventually it collapses - unless we fix the foundation. Fixing the foundation of self-image means seeing yourself as God sees you! Only then will you experience the stability, fulfilment and the peace He wants you to enjoy.

When God looks at you He sees a person who is:

Loved: ". . .you are precious.and I love you" (Isaiah 43:4 NLT). God loves you! ". . .Encircled by God all day long, within whom God is at home." (Deuteronomy 33:12) Sounds like a pretty secure position to be in, don't you think?

Valued: ". . He purchased our freedom through the blood of His Son" (Ephesians 1:7 NLT). If you grew up feeling ignored or unwanted, you likely transferred those feelings to your relationship with God. But they are false feelings because you are so valuable to God that He sent Jesus to die for you, You are worth Calvary and that will never change!

Enabled: ". . .given you special abilities." (1 Peter 4:10 TLB). Without a supportive environment to grow up in, you can end up with a diminished sense of enablement. That is why so many of us try to compensate by overachieving. God knows exactly what we are capable of and loves us enough to give us the prods we need to achieve our best. He does this not because if we achieve our potential He will love us more but rather because He loves us perfectly and wants the best for us. Don't let anybody tell you your life doesn't matter - it matters, because God loves you as you are right now!

(c) 2006 Timothy L. Hudson, UGA Christian Campus Fellowship