PROVE IT-
I want to open with a simple question to really consider.
How many of us that walk through life feeling like we need to prove ourselves?
Prove you're a good student, mom, dad, son, daughter, sister, brother, boss, employee. Prove you have worth in your job, in your family, at the gym, at school, at church.
Do you have anxiety when you think about these kinds of social settings? Why? Do you feel like you don't fit in? People won't accept you for you? The effort seems too overwhelming so you avoid it or hide in the corner?
I'll be the first to raise both my hands. We live in a culture that is demanding us to PROVE we have worth. The definition of worth in the world's eyes is very very different from your Maker's eyes. How many likes did you get? We want to "go viral", be found for our talent, be recognized for the person we create online (even though that is far removed from the person we are in reality.)
I am definitely not dreaming of going viral and being seen by the thousands, but I for sure want the ones in my sphere of influence to be impressed by how put together my life looks. I am tired of it. I am tired of feeling like I need to prove myself to people. It is not anyone who puts this pressure on except myself. But God is gently teaching me "you have nothing to prove, Jess."
I have heard this gentle voice guiding me with this thought for the last 4 months everyday.
I want to open with a simple question to really consider.
How many of us that walk through life feeling like we need to prove ourselves?
Prove you're a good student, mom, dad, son, daughter, sister, brother, boss, employee. Prove you have worth in your job, in your family, at the gym, at school, at church.
Do you have anxiety when you think about these kinds of social settings? Why? Do you feel like you don't fit in? People won't accept you for you? The effort seems too overwhelming so you avoid it or hide in the corner?
I'll be the first to raise both my hands. We live in a culture that is demanding us to PROVE we have worth. The definition of worth in the world's eyes is very very different from your Maker's eyes. How many likes did you get? We want to "go viral", be found for our talent, be recognized for the person we create online (even though that is far removed from the person we are in reality.)
I am definitely not dreaming of going viral and being seen by the thousands, but I for sure want the ones in my sphere of influence to be impressed by how put together my life looks. I am tired of it. I am tired of feeling like I need to prove myself to people. It is not anyone who puts this pressure on except myself. But God is gently teaching me "you have nothing to prove, Jess."
I have heard this gentle voice guiding me with this thought for the last 4 months everyday.
For those of you that know me well, you know that I can be pretty argumentative. I am the youngest in my family, and about a decade younger than my siblings. I didn't grow up around other kids my age, it was mostly adults with very strong opinions. I wanted to fit in and be apart, which formed in me this passionate desire to prove I was relevant; to prove I had something to offer. As I grew and made friends I would get in pretty heated arguments about all kinds of things, and looking back I know I have pushed people away because of it. (If you are one of those people, sorry about that. God is teaching me how to love, but it's taken a long time.)
This is a glimpse into my reason behind the "prove it" mentality, and I am sure you have your own reasons. I would challenge you to consider if these motives exist within your spirit and ask how they formed.
Why, in God's reality, we have nothing to prove...
If you have never read or heard of the story in Hosea, I highly recommend it! It speaks to the depths of my soul, and causes me to weep from a place of gratitude. It displays God's deep love for his people, for me, and his relentless pursuit.
Hos 1:23, "I will show my love to the one I called 'Not my loved one.' I will say to those called 'Not my people,' 'You are my people'; and they will say, 'You are my God.' "
If you can, read that whole chapter because it's powerful, and this is only the last verse of the chapter.
Unless you are of the Jewish bloodline, this verse is talking to you, who are outside of God's originally chosen people. I am a Gentile and an outsider according to God's law. Jesus' blood that flowed out of him removing my sin and guilt forever, allowed me to be adopted into God's family. The weight of this event is so heavy mere words fall short to fully explain it. I was an orphan without a family... I had everything to prove. It's like being the kid picked last for kickball 'cause nobody wants you. But in Christ, before the world was even created, God knew the plan, God knew I had nothing and chose to give me EVERYTHING! As I write this tears flow down... and I pray you, child, who reads this understand the weight of our adoption. It is the most beautiful and wonderful hope we possess.
For today, this truth propels me to love, to forgive, to bring hope to a world of orphans.
As we enter into this week of remembering Jesus' journey to the cross, through the depths of hell, and rising in victory over the power of sin, I pray we can take a moment to thank him for holding our hand and leading us out of our lonely orphanage to a seat at his table. And He says "sit and feast on this food, for you are one of us now, you belong to my family, you have nothing to prove. YOU BELONG!"
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