Have you ever wondered what God sees in you? The Bible tells us God loves us more than we can imagine. Sometimes when I’m worshiping or reading about his love in the Bible or working on a book when everything comes together, or even just admiring His creation, I feel that love.
But that doesn’t really tell me so much about me—rather it reveals more about His capacity to love. Recently I’ve been reminded that we don’t always see ourselves quite accurately. Sometimes we’re too critical of ourselves, other times we’re too . . . well, let’s just say the self-esteem movement in America is alive and well. Many times we see ourselves a bit better than we are.
Not long ago I had a discussion with an aspiring writer. It’s not uncommon for some new writers, at least ones who have a passion for story telling but somehow not so much for reading, to put on paper the essence of their story but miss a few of the finer details about writing. Everything from easy-to-fix structural things (like where quotes go, and the split between paragraphs) to passively telling a story rather than bringing characters alive so the reader can step into their shoes.
When I pointed out the difference in the brand new writer’s work and that of a seasoned writer’s, this particular aspiring writer saw no difference between his newly minted story and the work of someone who’s been at it for forty years (that wold be me). I wasn’t really sure what to say to his assessment, except that it almost instantly made me wonder whose eyesight was worse: mine or his. Perhaps neither one of us were seeing our work the way God sees it.
Another occasion that reminded me my vision of myself might not be accurate is a time I set out on a brisk morning walk in my neighborhood. This was pre-doggie days, so I was on my own. I recall setting as fast a pace as I could, and eventually hearing voices behind me. A pair of neighbors—although they were ones I did not know—were also taking advantage of the nice weather and doing their own morning walk. Briefly, I calculated how long it would be before I’d have the sidewalk to myself again. Would I be turning off at the end of the block, or would they?
I needn’t have asked such a question. In amazing speed, these two women (while having an animated conversation to boot) passed me by so quickly and easily I hardly had to share the sidewalk more than a few moments. Sigh. I thought I’d mastered such a brisk pace, when in reality I moved like a turtle. (I console myself with the fact that they were much taller, and therefore had longer strides . . .)
And so today when I took my walk with my dog, thoroughly enjoying the cool morning air and shuffling favorite tunes through my iPod, a wonderful song from Sara Groves came along. I admit it starts a bit sadly, of a woman about to give up, but in it she was asking basically the same question I’ve asked. To see in herself what God sees. The song doesn’t really answer what God sees, but it hints He sees more value than we might occasionally see ourselves.
I went on to YouTube and found it so you can see what you think!
Before I sign off for today, I wanted to mention that I’ll be doing a contest to celebrate the release of my newest book, Bees In The Butterfly Garden. The contest will run from July 9 through July 23rd. I welcome you back to participate! Here is a picture of what one winner will receive (approximately $100 value). When I give the details of how to enter, I’ll offer a complete list of what’s included. It’s certainly been fun collecting the items!
Join Me!