A New View Of You
“While we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
The gap between God and us is so great that
it’s hard to imagine how He could love us as He does. He is so holy…and we are not. He is so merciful…and we are not. He is so just…and we are not. Yet the span He was willing to bridge shows eternally how much He values
you and me.
When you know God has a destiny for you, you
realize how significant you are to Him. We want to be significant and have
value. In the book, “If I’m So Successful, Why Do I Feel So Fake?”
it talks about business people who are driven and overworked and stressed to
perform to prove themselves worthwhile and worthy. Yet, it is a false way to live. You truly become
comfortable with who you are by knowing whose you are. When I realize I belong to God and I’m deeply
loved, it becomes the basis for the special purpose for which I am created.
Psychologists will tell you that the way you see yourself,
your self-esteem,
your self-worth, and your self-concept, are determined by
what the most
important person in your life thinks of you. George Herbert Mead used to call it the
“Looking Glass Self.” While babies have little understanding of self, as they
grow, they distinguish differences and gain a picture of who they are. He or she gets it from the most important
people in his or her life. The people
most important to your life saw you in a certain way with honor and value or something
less. Father or mother, brother or sister, or a coach and teacher had a life
altering impact upon you. However, once
Christ becomes most important, you begin to take on a new view of you.
Joseph Merrick was
called "The Elephant Man” and lived in nineteenth century London, England,
as a freak of nature. His body was disfigured by neurofibromatosis,
twisting him into a hideous monster that his family rejected. Dr. Frederick
Treves found John working in a circus, an exhibit for people to laugh at. He took him to London Hospital, and paid for
a room out of his own pocket. He tended John's medical needs, giving him some
relief from the pains of his disease. He
treated John as a person, not some sideshow oddity. He provided John with books
and a tutor, and salvaged the man hidden inside. And then came Madge Kendall.
She was a talented actress and a beautiful woman of high society. She came to see John Merrick one day, and
brought along a gift: a volume of Shakespeare's plays. John was nervous and embarrassed,
an ugly beast cowering before a fairy princess. But her words he could
understand. With his gloved hands he
fumbled through the book. He found the second act of "Romeo and Juliet."
His voice was broken and squeaky, but he read the words that expressed what he
felt: "See! how she leans her cheek upon her hand, that I might touch her
cheek." And while he read that line, Madge Kendall slipped quietly into
the seat beside him. She responded with the lines of Juliet, memorized from her
years in the theatre. And almost without thinking, they recited the rest of the
act together. When it was done, Madge
Kendall took John Merrick's withered fingers in her own. She leaned over, and kissed his
swollen, leathery cheek. And in a quiet voice of gentle love, she said:
"Why, Mr. Merrick, you're not an Elephant Man at all...Oh, no! You are
Romeo!" And Dr. Treves, who recorded all of this, says that from
that moment, John Merrick was a changed man!
That's the story of
the Bible! That's the marvel of God's love for us! That's the faithfulness of Jesus Christ, who
reaches out to embrace us with the mercies of heaven! God has given us a future
in which we can imitate His faithfulness, and make our vows, and keep our promises. Paul declared in Romans 5:8, “While
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Heaven should have never made
a sacrifice for something so hideous as humanity’s sin…but Christ looked at us
and loved us. Nothing appealing, nothing endearing and nothing charming that we
could offer Him. We were freaks of a
spiritual nature. But in Christ’s great
love, He came to earth and kissed the unkissable, hugged the unhuggable, and
touched the untouchable. In other words,
when He becomes most important, you will realize how important you are to Him.
Terry Risser
Reflections:
- Where have you found your greatest source of value or significance before Christ (things, people, accomplishments)?
- How does Christ change our view when we realize how He sees us?
Consider reading the word today:
Copyrights 2014- Terry Risser
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