And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, Ephesians 2:6
Here at Breath on Paper we are structured around the semester system. Three times a year — the fall, spring, and summer — we choose a new series. We’ve written on Women of the Bible, Spiritual Gifts, the Fruits of the Spirit, and other topics. This fall we agreed to write on what God says that I am in an effort to learn who we are because of who He is. Let me say it like this: If we know who God is, we can learn what we are in Him. (To pull the curtain back, the reality is we write these posts for ourselves based on what God is showing us. We share it with you in hopes it will bless you too.)
We began this semester with a list of words that describe God, beginning with I am loved going all the way through to the end of the year using a different word each day. The goal: look into this list of God’s attributes and hopefully see ourselves.
But herein lies the problem we all face…
From those beginning moments of our day when we begin to drift from the fog of not really awake, but certainly not asleep, all the way to the late hour when we crumble, worn out and exhausted, onto our pillows there is one question that is an ever nuisance looming out there… Am I Enough?
We all feel the pressure to be more, do more, and make our normal lives look glamorous to the rest of the world. We all struggle with insecurities that we try so desperately to hide from everyone else. In reality, we all see our lives falling short. Who can keep up the façade?
Am I attractive enough? Smart enough? Spiritual enough? Am I a good parent? The list seems eternal and too often the answer is no.
The good news is: We don’t have to be perfect! Jesus is.
What would happen if you gave yourself a pass? Not even just one pass every now and again, but what if you lowered your masks? Wouldn’t all our imperfections fade in the light of what Jesus did for us? What we need to realize is that none of us are perfect. We will never reach Utopia!
And…what if that were a two-way street? Could we possibly see our friends like God sees them? Not to mention our enemies.
What does God see when He looks at us? Not our imperfect families, our mediocre job, and our home complete with dirty dishes in the sink, mold on the shower curtain, and dried toothpaste still in the sink. He doesn’t even see that eternal mountain of laundry still on the bed.
When God looks at you, He sees Jesus! We don’t have to be perfect.How many of you know that making mistakes is way better than faking perfection?
I’m suggesting that we exchange those pretend “rose-colored glasses” of how we want everyone to see us for a new pair of Jesus glasses. Could we live life differently if we were not trying to impress others but chose to live to please Jesus and to love ourselves instead?
God says in Ephesians 2 that we are seated with Christ. What that tells us is that Jesus’ work is complete. He came to earth and made a way for us to live in victory and now He is seated at the right hand of God. It also says we are seated there with Him. We are seated because Jesus is seated. We don’t have to live a life of faking it! He is enough and you are too.
I’m not saying just sit down and don’t do anything. Jesus said..
“If you love me, keep my commands. John 14:15
The most important part of this verse is the comma. Too often we want to look at it from the wrong side. Because of this little comma, the verse is not a threat. It is not: IF you love me, you will keep my commandments. BUT it is: if you love me, you can keep my commandments. When we focus on the first part of the sentence the second part becomes the results.
Can you choose to see yourself the way that God sees you? Love Jesus and allow Him to help you with the rest.Because you are what God says that you are! You are enough!
Make Breath on Paper a part of your daily devotion as we continue the series on what God says about us , I AM – what God says that I am. (unsubscribe at anytime)
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Cindy Willingham is a landscape designer, small group leader, avid encourager, and sinner saved by grace who is ten years new to Birmingham, Alabama. Her sweet husband of 38 years, two married children and four grand-kiddos fill her life with unbelievable fun and sweet snuggles. She thinks God is awesome and that the best adventure starts with saying yes to that still, small voice. ~ To read Cindy’s BoP Bio click here.
Feature Image Photo by Artsy Vibes on Unsplash
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