The question that keeps me up at night is:
How can God like me BEST, BETTER than other people?
My “Therapist” (What does SHE know?) says that these thoughts of comparison and drivenness are rooted in some sort of neurosis deep down, but I doubt that! Anyway, practically speaking, don’t we ALL want the teacher to like US best? Or the boss? Or even our friends?
Of course!
So, those are the types of questions that keep me up at night. And then God seemed to help me understand how to be his favorite! (I DO know that sentence is “Officially” a “Heresy” or whatever, but stay with me, because what God showed me is -Surprise! – theologically accurate, once you understand my point!)
Anyway, this is what happened.
It seemed God was highlighting the word “Beautiful” to a few of us.
How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!
There was something God wanted to reveal to us about this word.
As shown in this quote below, God isn’t quite as hung up about physical beauty as we are.
“Looks aren’t everything . . . God judges persons differently than humans do. Men and women look at the face; God looks into the heart.”
So He couldn’t be talking about that.
And in my prayer time, God seemed to show me a picture of two golden cups, one tarnished1, one polished.
Does one of these cups have less value? He seemed to ask my soul.
No! Of course not. Bought by a gold buyer, they would pay equally for both cups as they have EQUAL value.
So it is with my children, He seemed to whisper.
I think God was saying that ALL of his children have EQUAL VALUE in His eyes.
But some are a little more polished or beautiful.
I wondered how to polish oneself. I suddenly realized that a cup can’t polish itself! “How do we get polished a bit more?” I wondered
Let Me polish you, He seemed to whisper. As you draw near to me and seek me, I am polishing you.
And so I thought I would share what I learned here today with you so that maybe God will EVEN like you as much as He likes me!
Or maybe The Point is that:
If we knew how much God valued and loved us, we wouldn’t care how much He loved anyone else.
And I felt calmed, somehow, loved, and like I could finally take my unbearable list of “To-Do” items, the ones that I unconsciously think will help God to “like me” a bit more, and put it over there, far away, in the pile of stuff that God longs to burn. And I felt a bit more free. Maybe I don’t need to be better than others.
My therapist must be wrong!
(At least, I think that’s what she was getting at. See Paragraph One, above, but I am a bit confused whenever she speaks if I’m honest).
God LIKES me, as I already proved definitely HERE. And He LIKES you, too, and finds you more and more beautiful as you allow Him to purify your golden cup in the fire of His Presence. And there is our freedom.
If you still don’t know what I’m talking about, read this ancient story and let the metaphor sit inside your heart for a bit as you ponder, reflect and thank God for this truth.
(And God will be polishing your gold cup a bit more, even as you do this, friend.)
Photo Credit – Good News! by Jade Destiny on Unsplash
Thank you for liking me! I like you too! Let’s journey together!
1 (*I DO know that only silver tarnishes in real life, not gold, but this is a metaphor, remember? And I believe God considers each of His children to be of the highest value, of gold, so that’s why gold is in the picture. Can we return to the point now?)
Restoring Life 