Astonishing Discovery

COMMENTS

Most of us are familiar with Psalm 139:14.  That’s the verse that says, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”  I usually hear that in reference to pregnancy or newborn babies.  However, the Lord gave me a new frame of reference for that verse this morning.  It came with an astonishing discovery:  I like me!

NOTES

I hope that doesn’t sound arrogant.  But I have to tell you, that’s a startling and remarkable statement!  I’ve spent the majority of my life NOT liking myself.  Now, don’t get me wrong—I’m not saying that I like everything I say and everything I do.  I’m not saying I’ve got it all together.  God still has a lot of work to do!  I think the thing I’ve “discovered” is that I’ve finally accepted Psalm 139:14 and other verses like it in the Bible.  God made me.  God loves me.  God thinks I’m wonderful!  Even though He hasn't yet finished His work on me, He’s done amazing things in me.  As I’ve said in previous posts, I’m not who I was.  I’m changed.  And I like me.

As I process that, I realize that says more about God than it does about me.  He’s been trying to pound into my head how much He loves me, how much He’s done for me, how much He longs to use me.  He’s been calling me to Himself and to His point of view.  It’s ironic that in my self-centered little world, I focus on myself.  In my perfectionism I see my flaws and feel like a lousy human being.  But when I focus on my Lord, I see myself through the eyes of the Perfect One.  I see one who is accepted, and I can accept myself.  I can even accept the flaws because I know that my God has accepted me just as I am but is not going to leave me that way.

Satan has really done a number on us.  We think that we need to focus on our sins, but God calls us to repent and focus on our forgiveness.  We think humility is "putting ourselves down", but God says that humility is seeing ourselves as He sees us even as we recognize our own unworthiness.  Satan has convinced too many of us that “groveling” is humble and righteous.  I believe that living in the victory He has purchased for us is the only way that we can find true humility and righteousness.  Then, we can see everything—even ourselves—as He does.  And we can like what we see ;-).

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”  (Psalm 139:14)