PROGRAM W-1732 – Part II
I remember years ago a fairly good friend telling me that she would love to invite me over for dinner sometime, but she knew how busy I was and that I was never lonely. Never lonely?! Whatever gave her that idea? I was a single mom, struggling with my identity and my place in a society built for two. Yet she saw me as totally self-sufficient and never needing fellowship or help. How did she get that picture of me?
I’ve come to learn that lots of people see me that way. It must be the image I portray, but it is not how I see myself. I know the butterflies that swim in my stomach with regularity, the insecurities that plague my self-image, and the distorted reflections I see in my mirror. I know how quickly and frequently I see myself through the prism of my past, of my accomplishments and failures, and of my possessions and status. I know how I am prone to measure myself in comparison with others and how much I base my self-worth and significance on that infamous ladder of success—and which rung I’m on at the moment.
If seeing myself as others see me is challenging, seeing myself as God sees me is even more so. It definitely requires Forever Eyes. I must first of all know how God sees me. Then I must intentionally set my mind on that knowledge. Here is how God sees us.
We are God’s intentional creation.
My good friend, Lucille, has gone on to be with the Lord. I’ll never forget how she came to saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and how it changed her life. She had grown up thinking she was a mistake and trying so hard to prove that she was worthwhile.
Coming to know Jesus and understanding that she was God’s intentional creation was such a revelation for Lucille. For the few years she knew the Lord before her death, she simply glowed in the knowledge that God loved her and that she was not a mistake. You could see it in her face even when she was facing death from cancer. There was no fear and no doubt that the God of all creation held her in the palm of his hands, for she was his daughter.
In Colossians 1:16 we read the following:
For in him [Jesus Christ] all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.
Since you are on earth and you are visible, you can be certain that you were created by him. But consider those last two words in that verse: you were created for him! Not just by him, but for him! To create is to cause something unique to come into being. A creation is something that comes from a person’s own thought or imagination—like a work of art or an invention. When you create something like that, it belongs to you.
The depth of this truth is life changing. The Almighty God created you and me, and we were created for him—for his purposes and his reasons. That knowledge alone brings significance into our lives.
We were created for his pleasure.
Remember the wonderful movie, Chariots of Fire—the story of that remarkable Olympic champion, the Scottish runner, Eric Liddle, who was a strong Christian committed to Jesus Christ? His missionary sister was concerned about his running career because she felt he was neglecting his calling and not putting God first. But Eric said to his sister, “Oh, don’t you see, Jenny. God made me fast. And when I run, I feel his pleasure.”
Revelations 4:11 (KJV) puts it this way:
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou has created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
When I try to comprehend that I give God pleasure, I immediately focus on all the things I’ve done wrong that have brought him anything but pleasure. But what you and I must constantly make ourselves remember is that we bring God pleasure because he created us, not because we perform well. While it is true that we can grieve his heart by not allowing him to live his life through us, it is still true that we are created for his pleasure and that never changes.
J.I. Packer puts this so well in his wonderful classic, Knowing God:
There is tremendous relief in knowing that His love to me is utterly realistic, based at every point on prior knowledge of the worst about me, so that no discovery now can disillusion Him about me, in the way I am so often disillusioned about myself, and quench His determination to bless me. . . for some unfathomable reason, he wants me as His friend, and desires to be my friend. . . (p. 37)
It is unfathomable, but it is nonetheless true: God takes pleasure in you. Eric Liddle’s faith was strong enough and simple enough to realize that because God made him fast, his speed brought God pleasure. Can you say that about yourself? You should be able to verbalize how God has created you to bring him pleasure. Maybe you would say, “Because God made me a good listener, I bring God pleasure when I listen and care about others.” Or, “Because God made me a good organizer, I bring God pleasure when I organize events and run them smoothly.” Or, “Because God made me a speaker, I bring God pleasure when I give a good talk or make a good presentation.”
It really doesn’t matter how God has created us—we are all very different in our gifts and abilities. But we were all created for his pleasure. It is not pride on our part to recognize how God has created us. Eric Liddle gave God the credit for his fast body, but he also recognized that it was a gift from God to bring God pleasure.
Worthy because we are loved.
In his book, Reaching for the Invisible God, Philip Yancey says this: “Some things are loved because they are worthy; some things are worthy because they are loved.”
We are worthy because we are loved by the eternal God. When we can see ourselves through Forever Eyes—and not only acknowledge in our heads but rejoice in our hearts that God loves us just because he loves us—it begins to change the way we see ourselves.
I want to encourage you to realize that God delights in you. I love this verse from Zephaniah 3:17:
The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.
Don’t you love that imagery of God rejoicing over you with singing? We often rejoice and take delight in God through singing, but to think that he does the same over us. That is a “Wow!” That makes it a lot easier to get out of bed in the morning and find purpose in life.
We were created for his glory.
Isaiah 43 is a wonderful chapter of encouragement, and if you haven’t read it lately, I hope you will. Here are a couple of verses from that chapter:
Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth—everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made. (Isaiah 43:6-7)
God created you; you are his; he called you by name; you are precious to him; he loves you; you were created for his glory. Is that how you see yourself? If not, you haven’t been looking with Forever Eyes.
When great artists paint their masterpieces, we admire the paintings because of their beauty and creativity. But who gets the glory for the painting? The artist, of course. Because the Master created you, you are meant to bring glory to him. The very fact that you have been created shows his power and wonder. God knit you together in your mother’s womb and you are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:13-14).
I urge you to look at yourself through Forever Eyes, the way God sees you. For some of you, this will take some time because you’ve been looking at yourself for so long through the wrong eyes. It could be the eyes of a family member who told you things about yourself that are not true, and who belittled you or discounted you. It could be the eyes of a boss who never tells you what you do right but only what you do wrong. It could even be through your own eyes, where you may see yourself as more important than you are. But looking at yourself through Forever Eyes will give you the truth about yourself—and that truth can set you free.
There is so much more to say on this topic—the book picks up where I’m leaving off. I would encourage you to get a copy of my book, Looking with Forever Eyes: Living Now in the Light of Eternity. Let us hear from you, and we’ll be delighted to send you a copy of this book for your donation of any amount.
Living now in the light of eternity is one of the best stress-busters you will ever discover. You will be amazed at how differently people look when you ask God to help you see them the way God sees them. You will be astonished at how unimportant some of your daily crises are when you allow God to show you how they look to him. Remember the question I gave you to help you look with forever eyes. Ask yourself regularly, “What difference will this make in eternity?”
As offered by Mary, dig more deeply into this topic of looking at life through Forever Eyes. Make a donation of any amount to the Christian Working Woman ministry, and we’ll send you a copy of this book, “Looking with Forever Eyes: How to Live Now in the Light of Eternity.” Call us today at 630.462.0552 to make a donation and receive this book.