Written by Dawn Rutan
It’s been one of those weeks. You know the kind—when everything that could go wrong does: an unwanted notice from the bank; dozens of reports printed with the wrong data; computer glitches creating irreconcilable accounts; a question that throws doubts on standing procedures… Not only does it make the week seem extra long, but it creates an opportunity for the enemy to toss his own lies into the mix. “You can’t do anything right. You should have known better. That was a stupid mistake. You’re incompetent…” That’s why I appreciated the reminder I found in Holley Gerth’s books You’re Going to Be Okay:
“But what it all comes down to is believing this: you’re only as good as what you can produce. And that, my friends, is a sure way to drive yourself crazy… If my worth does not come from what I produce, then where does it come from? …my worth is not something I can make… It’s a gift. Offered with outstretched hands by the One who made me. I don’t produce my worth. I receive it” (134).
It’s easy to get sidetracked into thinking that our value is determined by what we do well or by what we fail to do. Other people often reinforce that by the way they praise or condemn us for things we’ve done. Our perceptions of our own value can rise and fall faster than the stock market. Thankfully, the value God has given us is not dependent on anything we can do. Gerth starts her book by stating the scriptural facts that we need to remember when taunted by the enemy’s lies:
“You are not what happens to you. You are not where you are right now. You are not your weakest moments or biggest struggles.” But—
- You Are Loved – “I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39 NIV).
- You Have a Purpose – “We are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).
- You Are Irreplaceable – “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27).
- You Are an Overcomer – “Who will bring any charges against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? …In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:33-37).
- You Are Enough – “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1:3).
This isn’t just self-esteem—this is God-esteem. It’s agreeing with God about who He says we are, and living by that truth. I don’t want to listen to the lies of the enemy, trying to please everyone else, or setting unrealistic expectations of perfection. Paul even says that doing that keeps us from effectively serving God. “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10 ESV).
Doesn’t it make more sense to seek the approval of the One who made us and gives us value and purpose? Now I just need to remember the truth…
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 7:42 ESV).
© 2015 Dawn Rutan. The views stated may or may not reflect the beliefs of the pastor or leadership of Dulin’s Grove Church.
