I wanted to start with this verse, so that in case you don’t make it to the end of this article, you will at least have read this:
Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
This verse tells us that we should not be acting like people who do not know God, but as believers in Christ. We are expected to act in accordance to God’s will and to be able to discern the will of God, we must renew our mind with the Holy Spirit, so that we can be used as an instrument of good by God to carry out His plan.
I personally love this verse because it reminds me that our life is not our own. We are the servants of God and we are here to do His will. It is humbling to remember that He has a plan that is far greater than anything we could possibly imagine, but it is easy to get wrapped up in the happenings of our lives and set God on the backburner.
As humans, we are characteristically flawed. We struggle to comprehend things we cannot see, which makes it easy for us to prioritize our earthly responsibilities above our responsibility to God. God made us to be a social people, but we tend to become overly concerned with the opinion of others.
In today’s society, many people suffer from low self-esteem and feelings of worthlessness. We base our value on how our physical bodies look or by whether a man/woman loves us, but these are earthly concerns. We search for validation in the eyes of man rather than setting our eyes on God.
These emotions are destructive and unloving to us and those around us. When we are feeling low on ourselves we often compare ourselves to others, whether it is to idolize someone else or to put another down to raise ourselves up, God frowns on these behaviors because jealousy is a sin.
Aha, but our God is a jealous God, therefore our God is sinful, right? Wrong.
The Bible talks about two types of jealousy: sinful and sanctified. God calls us to worship Him and Him alone. He is holy and worthy of our praise; the jealousy He has for us when we stray and begin worshiping other idols is a sanctified jealousy of His fight to restore us back to faith in Him.
The jealousy we experience is the coveting of what others’ have and, according to Paul in Galatians 5:19-21:
“The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.”
This has been a constant struggle for me. I am guilty of being jealous of others for the way they look, the way they live and even the way they are loved. I have allowed myself to feel worthless at times because someone didn’t accept me, and rather than giving myself to God, I let myself feel pity.
I valued the opinion of man over the opinion of God.
Just think for a moment how crazy that sounds, yet we are all guilty of it. It is easy to be sidetracked by the world in front of us that we forget about what is waiting for us if we choose to follow God: an eternal life in heaven.
Thankfully, we serve a loving God. He does not define us by the mistakes we have made or the sins we have committed. We serve a forgiving and merciful God. He showed his mercy for us by sending his son to die on the cross to save us, undeserving sinners, so that we can live with him in heaven.
John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
We are unconditionally loved by Him, yet we pine over insecurities such as body image and worthlessness. We forget that our God made us in His image, that every unique detail about us was strategically placed for perfection in the eyes of the Lord.
Psalm 139:13-14: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."
We should be celebrating the way we look because God made us this way. Never should we look at one another in envy of the way in which God made them different than ourselves, rather we should marvel at the beauty of God’s creation in them while remaining proud of our own appearance.
1 Samuel 16:7: “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’”
Our Lord sees us in our entirety and he loves us despite our sins and despite our mistakes. It is important for us to remember this in life when we catch ourselves caring too much about the opinions of others. The only opinion that matters is God’s, there is no one else you should be concerned about pleasing.
There is no earthly relationship that even compares to the love God has for us. We should not be so concerned with our personal agendas, for God knows what is best for us and He will choose the best path for you.
Romans 8:37-39: “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Be steadfast in your following of Christ because He has a plan to use you, just as you are, for His good work. You are unique in God and His love for you is unwavering; put your faith in Him and do not falter.
