Seeing Yourself The Way God Sees You

What do you think of yourself? Do you like the person you’re becoming? Too few of us do. It’s my suspicion that a lot of us use the wrong metric when deciding how we measure up. God sees you, Friend, but it probably isn’t the way you see yourself.

Being Honest With Ourselves

Have you ever wondered why people refer to reading the Bible and spending time in prayer as a spiritual battle? For one, our flesh will always resist truth, but we can strengthen our faith and obedience over time with…faith and obedience. Clear as mud, huh?

As a Christian, you’re indwelled by the Holy Spirit, and He will guide you. However, I can’t recommend finding a mentor or discipler to help you along the way strongly enough. As you develop spiritual discipline and grow in your knowledge of the Lord, your faith and obedience will grow. I’ve seen it play out in front of my own eyes, and I have lived it. More accurately, I’m continuing to live it out as I proceed in my sanctification.

Another reason we sometimes feel the need to battle in order to read the Bible and regularly engage in prayer is that the Enemy is always looking for ways to hurt our relationship with God.

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”

1 Peter 5:8

Satan can’t have us because we have eternal security with the Lord.

“And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” (emphasis mine)

Ephesians 4:30

On the other hand, Satan’s schemes and temptations, if successful, can sideline Christians. Think about believers you know who are ineffective ambassadors for Christ. They put nearly everything else before serving, conversations steer clear of spiritual topics, and they don’t live a life that preaches Christ to those around them. They’re saved, but they never grew up in their faith. These folks are perpetual spiritual babies.

I think there is something else at play when we struggle to seek God in His Word and in prayer. We all go through this challenge at one point or another, but we keep it to ourselves because it feels shameful. It’s this: Scripture and prayer reflect our own nature back to ourselves. Sometimes, maybe even often, the reflection we see isn’t flattering.

With the wrong perspective, prayer and reading the Bible can easily lead me to a deep focus on all my deficiencies, sin issues, and failures. Do you do that, too? Do you believe that’s how God sees you? You guys, we get too caught up on the negatives and what we perceive as wrong with us. I’m not saying that we should overlook the areas in which we need to improve, but we risk missing out on the big picture.

God sees you, believer, as His child (John 1:12). You have put on the new self which is in the likeness of God (Ephesians 4:24). You’re holy, and God sees you that way. Does He see when you sin, too? Yes, but you’re His. If you’re truly born again, then you can confidently know God sees you as one of His children.

We need to take a look at ourselves and see reality. Sure, that reflection can show us some terrible things, but God wants us to see that. When you know God’s desire for your life and His standards, you can improve and grow closer to Him. Once we know what needs to change, what else can stop us from becoming the person God wants us to be? What could possibly prevent us from seeing ourselves the way God sees us? (Hint: There is, in fact, something.)

Comparison Is A Thief

I’ve missed out on so much joy because of comparison. At various points, I’ve become quite bitter. And, man, are there things to compare yourself to that will just makes you seethe if you have the wrong heart.

This Is Not How God Sees You: Family

I’m the only child of two people who couldn’t stand each other and had little interest in parenting me. I was lonely a lot and felt jealous when other families seemed to honestly enjoy each other’s company. For instance, my college sweetheart’s family had regular game nights and planned evenings to just hang out. For me to spend time with him, I often had to plug into those family times because he wasn’t going to neglect them. That family was closer than I knew any family could be.

Beneath the jealousy was a nagging question. Why doesn’t my family love me as much as other families love one another? I relied on how I perceived my family felt about me to determine my worth, and it left me hurting.

This Is Not How God Sees You: Personality/Fitting In

At nearly forty-two, I’m really just beginning to settle into my personality. I was typically the weird girl, and because of that, I was teased, bullied, and frequently left out. But I couldn’t help my personality. It seemed that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t act like the other girls. I just wasn’t “cool.”

Then, I went and became a Christian. What could be weirder than that?

I allowed others to tell me who I was based on their opinions of me. I spent decades believing everyone in my life tolerated me and was doing me a favor. No one was thankful for me. They just put up with me. I compared myself to others around me, thinking that I should be like them. As I understood it, there must be something inherently wrong with me. Of course, this made me desperate for approval from other people. God’s approval, however, wasn’t on my mind.

This Is Not How God Sees You: Appearance

Every American female can relate to comparing herself to other women. We can’t help it because comparisons are everywhere. I have struggled with this my entire life, and it is such a waste of time.

In response to my appearance, I had significant struggles with food. Too much. Too little. Anything I could do to have the body I saw walking down the runway. This was during the 1990’s, so I was comparing myself to “heroin chic.” Think: Kate Moss.

I considered and began planning an attempt to end life on my own terms during that timeframe, as well. I hated who I saw in the mirror, and I “knew” I was a disposable person because I wasn’t beautiful like other women.

Even after my salvation, I questioned God about why I have to look like…me. I half-jokingly tried to convince my husband to hire someone to draw us at our wedding rather than have a photographer. I couldn’t stomach the idea of looking back at my wedding day and being less than a bride should be.

Standards And Expectations

Where did I go wrong, and are you making the same mistake? Christians know that their standards should be biblical. They also understand that they should live to please and serve God, not man. His expectations matter above any others.

So, why do so many of us place significance on what other people think of us and how we measure up to their standards and expectations? Who do I serve? What gives me value and worth? In a lifetime of seeking for validation from the people around me and the world’s systems, I have never felt like enough. But with God…

God Wants You To Be All In

When we are focused on meeting the spoken and unspoken demands of the culture around us, we become double-minded. We try to be faithful followers of Christ and the world. This leads to frustration, failure, a poor testimony of Christ, and potentially choosing to faithfully follow the world and only the world.

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

Matthew 6:24 (ESV)

Ephesians is a plainly written reminder. Believers, no matter your station in the world, serve God rather than men. He is the focus. His expectations and standards. Follow His lead.

“Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:” (emphasis mine)

Ephesians 6:5-7

How’s your attitude as you serve the Lord through your life? Are you cheerfully serving God because you love Him, or are you bitterly trudging through because you feel like you have to? If you really understood how God sees you, then you’d be able to leave behind others’ opinions and gladly follow His lead.

“And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.”

Colossians 3:23-24

Who are you trying to impress? What life are you hoping to lead? As I have looked out at the lives of family, friends, and complete strangers (thanks social media), I have occasionally wished I had what they had. I’ve even believed the lie that God loves them more because He seems to have given them more. What a wicked thought!

Christ died for my sins and has given me eternal life. My reaction? Sure, but why don’t I have a better figure? How come I don’t have an impressive wardrobe, more trips, a newer car…? I wouldn’t trade my life for anything, but that dissatisfaction with what I have essentially says I would.

Somewhere along the line, I thought that I might not be as loved or as valuable to God because life wasn’t what I thought it should be. You know, because I know best.

Rather than seeking to change the life God has given me, perhaps I’d be better off living that life. You know, the beautifully blessed gift of a life I live every day.

Again, I have to ask myself who I am serving. If I chase after the life I think I should have because the world sells it to me at every chance it gets, I’m serving men. On the other hand, if I remember who I am in Christ, I’m able to serve Him in whatever circumstance He places me. I’m His, bought and paid for!

“Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches…You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men. So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.”

1 Corinthians 7:17, 23-24 (ESV)

God Sees You As You Truly Are

It might be frightening to know that God sees you as you truly are inside. Right? You’re a sinner, and He sees it. He knows your every thought and deed. There is no secret you can keep from Him. God sees your whole self, and He sees a Christian’s true identity is in Christ.

You are a child of God.

“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.”

Galatians 3:26

“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.”

1 John 3:1

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

John 1:12-13

You are a co-heir/co-inheritor with Christ.

“The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”

Romans 8:16-17

“That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

Titus 3:7

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

Galatians 3:28-29

God knows you better than anyone.

“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”

Psalm 139: 13-16 (ESV)

“Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.”

Matthew 10:29-31

You are an image bearer.

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”

Genesis 1:27

You are God’s workmanship.

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

Ephesians 2:10

Final Thought

Do you see yourself as God sees you? I hope so, but I think we all fall prey to measuring our worth, value, purpose, and meaning against the wrong standards. I’ve learned in the last fifteen years or so that if I am going to put God first, then I’m going to rank lower with other metrics. Godly character, biblical womanhood, and service focused on the Lord are simply unlikely to increase my value and worth in many of the stereotypical ways the world determines those kinds of things.

I don’t have a life the world would deem “successful” and “rich.” I’m not beautiful by social media standards, and no one would say I come from a “good” family. Y’all, I’m never going to live up to anyone’s standards or expectations in the world or the Church, for the matter. I can knock myself out trying to be everything I think I should be, or I can be who God wants me to be.

I can remember my worth comes from Him. I’m not valuable based on my looks, intelligence, background, church membership, marriage, or the number of children I have. My worth comes from God’s love for me. Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, my salvation through His sacrifice, and God’s patience and grace have made me His child. I couldn’t strive to be more than that because it’s everything.

What have you thought would give you value but didn’t?

Image courtesy of Tiago Bandeira via Unsplash