It is very easy to look back at the different generations, styles, and ideals and think "What in God's name was I thinking?!" (Quite literally). As hard as we may have tried to fit into a certain persona of the time that we were growing up, none of it would matter in a few years. Fads, clothes, food, and pretty much everything that creates the coolness factor all change over time. For the perfectionist in everyone of us, this sucks! This means that at the point where we finally felt that we could rock a certain era (including the times when we have purposefully chose to not participate in the fads out of principle, hence jumping on another fad of resistance); all the rules changed and we had to start over. Bummer! Noland states, "If you base your self-esteem on what you do instead of who you are, your-self image will go up and down depending on your latest reviews" (131, Noland).
Instead of building our self-worth on things that change over time, we need to build it on the very fact that we are a child of God. Noland states that "the key to a healthy self-image is not about doing. It is about being; being a beloved child of God" (131, Noland). This means that we need to understand that God absolutely loves us for who we are; every part of who we are... yep that part too. As Christians, I believe that many of us already know that God loves us. It is quite literally mentioned in the Bible hundreds of times. Yet, sometimes the real question we are asking when we ask "does God love us" is "does God like us?"
All of us have children and we all wholeheartedly agree that we love our children tremendously, but that we don't always like what are children are doing at different points. Does this mean that God loves us, but that he doesn't like us sometimes? If this is the case, according to the list of sins that I fall into every day, does this mean he doesn't like me most of the time? Noland argues that this is not the case!
One verse that Noland relies on to prove that God likes us very much is Psalm 18:19 because it states that 'God delights in me.' This message is also shared in Psalm 37:23 and Psalm 41:11. Noland states, "Did you know that God delights in you? He created you and He enjoys being with you. He enjoys seeing you grow. He enjoys watching you be what He created you to be. He enjoys watching you use your talent - every time you perform or create. He delights in you" (132, Noland).
Another verse that touches Noland about God liking us is Romans 8:38: "I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels or demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." This verse has become so meaningful to Noland because "it reminds [us] that noting - absolutely nothing - can separate [us] from the love of God. Even if [we] are having trouble feeling His love [or that he may even like us], it's still there. Nothing can take it away" (132, Noland)
So, next time we are feeling rather fad focused or, conversely, like the scum of the earth, we need to realize that God doesn't judge us the way that we judge each other. He loves us and likes us unconditionally. Take a look at Ephesians 4:32. It tells us to be "kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." What if we applied that same verse to how we treat ourselves? We need to begin to be kind to the artist in us AND we need to realize that God really does like us, no matter what. In the words of Journey "Don't Stop Believin'"!
For the reflection part of this post, write something that you want to start "savoring" as a part of who you are that God has blessed. This is a trait that God has given you so that you may serve Him better, this is not an action or a responsibility that you are in charge of.
