Flaws and All
As the majority of us are quarantined at home, there has been much talk about using this time for self-improvement – completing various projects or getting healthier or learning a new skill.
You might have accomplished a lot in this time. Or you might not.
I had high hopes for myself and have accomplished some, but not all of what I had hoped to do. I still have wedding thank-you's left to write and I haven't quite saved the money I thought I'd save. (As it turns out, my gas and travel budget has all be reallocated to my grocery budget, which is significantly higher now that we are home all the time.)
I'm not here to question anyone's motives, but I do know that sometimes humanity's often desperate need for self-improvement doesn't always come from the healthiest of places.
Whether we seek our parents' approval or are trying to keep up with the Jones' or attaining some childhood dream, we have a tendency to tell ourselves that one more achievement, just one more, will fill the need in us to make us feel safe or content or fulfilled.
If I could just lose 15 more pounds, or if I could just get promoted, or if I could just have a new computer, or if I could just get my house cleaner, I'll feel so much better about my life.
But I would like to take a moment out of your day to briefly and simply remind you that God loves you and values you just as you are.
At your current weight.
With your current bank account looking what it is.
With the current state of your laundry being what it is.
You are so truly and deeply loved. And you have intrinsic value without even changing a single thing about yourself.
And without checking all the boxes on your to-do list. No other accolades will make God love you less. Does knowing this change your priorities a little? How would your to-do list change if you truly believed that?
You are loved and you deserve to rest in that love and let it define how you move through the world, the goals you set for yourself, and the way you give love and receive love from others.
Step one is realizing you have intrinsic worth. Step two is realizing that others do too. Even the ones we all acknowledge could definitely use some improvement.
Even the ones who don't do their fair share. Even the ones who don't take our advice. What a beautiful and annoying revelation!
It's okay to wish someone would get their act together. And it's okay to want goodness and success for our loved ones. But love – the healthy and holy kind – acknowledges that a person's value does not increase with their bank account or their health or status and that it is not our place to fix or improve them. We couldn't if we tried anyway.
If you are feeling inadequate, take a moment to remind yourself of your belovedness. In so many ways the world tells us that we are less than lovely, less than successful, and less than attractive. Today, pray that God would help you to see yourself and others the way God sees and loves us--not for our potential, but for who we truly are, flaws and all.
Kelsey Lewis Vincent, Pastor for Youth and Families, First Baptist Church of Decatur