Who do you say you are?

At times, when I look in the mirror, I see reflections of myself as a child.  Memories drum up from long ago, that time I went on a special trip, my first friend, receiving a gift I always wanted.

Some of us have very good memories of childhood, and some of us do not, for whatever reason.  Is childhood guaranteed to be pleasant and without struggle?  Definitely not.  Is growing up promised to be easy and carefree?  Well, no.  Perhaps we have memories of both good and bad.

Some children never receive a word of encouragement from a parent, and were never told “I love you”.  Perhaps their parents only knew how to provide—a home, food, clothing, and other material things.  Love may have been absent.  The child may have felt like a burden, not seen and frequently mistreated.

Mistakenly, many of us define ourselves by what others think about us and how they treat us, like that dismissed child.  We also could be defining ourselves by our job, how we make money, and our possessions. Taking it a step further, some people pride themselves on their ability to manipulate others, and only feel elevated with power and control.

There's a consistent thread throughout Scripture about our worth being rooted in God's perspective of us, not our circumstances or achievements.  God does not see us through a human lens.  He sees us through his Divine lens of creation, which is love, being made manifest in our unique selves. So, your parents were not ideal parents?  When you realize that God loves you more than they ever could, you develop a whole new perspective on who you really are and your incredible worth.  God created us to serve Him, and to make it back to our true home, heaven.  He loves us for merely being who we were born to be.  He loves us without borders or limits.  No human being can appreciate us as God does, it is impossible.

"You will be a crown of beauty in the Lord's hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God." --Isaiah 62:3

What a powerful affirmation of identity! It speaks to being treasured, honored, and held securely by God Himself. The imagery of a royal diadem suggests dignity, authority, and precious value—not something worn casually, but something displayed with care and pride.

Working toward loving ourselves and our neighbor like God does is a worthy goal.  Do you at times find yourself feeling contempt for someone, only because they may be different, ill, poor or mentally afflicted? Or you find it difficult to be kind to an unkind person?  What does God teach you through such a person in your life?

That just like you, that person is worthy of love as well.   Once you come to terms with this fact, then you can appreciate who you were created to be.  And once you start being who God wants to be, your life begins to take shape and open up with infinite possibilities to serve Him-- by serving others! 

"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms." --1 Peter 4:10 

When we serve others, we serve Christ Himself.  He comes to us hidden under the guise of someone in need of our care, our words, our help, our prayers. 

Define yourself by who God says you are.  Not through anything or anyone else.  Ask Him to help you out of the abyss of self-defeating thoughts-- if you only see in the mirror that person who was vilified and scorned, or that dismissed child from long ago.

Know that you are made in God's image, loved as His child, transformed by grace, and given purpose.  In Christ, we are molded into something entirely new. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!"-- 2 Corinthians 5:17