“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
It’s easy to walk through your day and feel unseen by the world around you. Most of our everyday activities are praise-less ones, chalked up to “adulting” and when we do manage to do something out of our ordinary, it’s still not extraordinary enough to garner verbal acknowledgement by those around us. When we point out our accomplishments, we’re hit with a shame stick, accused of fishing for compliments. In order to avoid that shame, we need to be really impressive before we command attention. It’s so exhausting to be praiseworthy, that some of us don’t even bother, shirking all attention and putting on false humility so people think we are ego-less. It’s no wonder so many of us are addicted to social media, and the little lift we feel when we see someone “liked” the meal we prepared, the picture we drew, or the blog post we wrote. It’s a poor substitute for the approval we are desperate for, but it’s better than nothing at all.
The real question our heart is asking in our quest for praise is, “Am I valuable? Am I good? Am I desirable?” The world responds with a demand to show them what we offer before we are approved. The Father, however, separates our efforts from our value. He says because you are His child, you are valuable. Because you are made in His image, you are good. And He so desires relationship with you that while you were yet bent on your own agenda, Christ laid down His life to heal the broken connection between you and God. Today, we open our hearts to His approval and let His love disconnect all the works we have attached to our value.
Reflection:
What is the Father highlighting concerning your need and response to praise and acknowledgement?
Where have you allowed how much praise you receive to determine how valuable you are?
Prayer
Father God, it’s so easy to get tangled up in the approval of others, and the sense of value that comes with being acknowledged. Today, I rest in Your love, and ask that You would expose where I have equated my value with my accomplishments and begin to untangle them. Thank you for loving me before I ever did anything and declaring me valuable as I am. Amen.
