Today I’m going to tackle a really tough question. One that I imagine more of us have asked ourselves than we’d ever admit. How could God (still) love me?
Those who have attended my leadership training over the years often heard me say that we are a by-product of our life experiences. That concept is important to consider when we are approaching something, and especially relevant when we are working with others to achieve a goal. Our values and beliefs are most often shaped by what life has brought our way. What our ‘story’ reveals about us.
Most of us have a broken chapter within that story. It can either be a chapter that has been written because of choices we have made and the consequences of those choices have written a chapter we are not proud of. However, some of us have a chapter that was written because of things that were out of our control. A chapter that was handed to us, that is nevertheless, a part of our story that we would certainly like to omit.
The various chapters in our book can contribute to the question of “How could God (still) love me?” Even though this can be a very emotional and heart-wrenching question, the very best part comes in the simple, yet powerful answer. It’s because God sees us different than we see ourselves.
There’s a Japanses art form known as Kintsukuroi (also known as Kintsugi). This is the art of taking something broken and repairing it with a substance that is dusted with powdered gold, silver or platinum. Not only is the broken piece enhanced in beauty by this process, the art form allows the repair to be part of the history of the object, rather than something to disguise.
Such a process of being renewed is found in I Peter 1:3-4. “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade — kept in heaven for you.”
During the times in our lives when we need encouragement, Peter’s words offer us joy and hope. We are called in to a living hope, not only for our wounds to be mended, but a living hope of eternal life. This hope begins when we trust God to help us remain true in our faith through whatever difficulty we may have faced or are in the midst of going through right now.
Think about it this way… If God created you, He can recreate you! I’ll say it again… If God created you, He can recreate you! You may ask, can He help me rewrite that chapter in my story? He could… but the real truth is, God doesn’t see your story the same way you do.
Many, many people spend time looking in the mirror and see someone ‘less than’ who we want to be, and/or who they believe God wants them to be. This knowing, was the basis for Matthew West’s song, “Mended”. A portion of the lyrics, says…
I see my child, my beloved, The new creation you’re becoming
You see the scars from when you fell, But I see the stories they will tell
You see worthless, I see priceless, You see pain, but I see a purpose
You see unworthy, undeserving, But I see you through eyes of mercy
When you see broken beyond repair, I see healing beyond belief
You’re not too far gone, You’re one step away from home
When you see nothing but damaged goods, I see something good in the making
I’m not finished yet, no, When you see wounded, I see mended
We look in the mirror and we see what we’ve done, but God looks at you and He sees what He’s done, through His Son Jesus. God sees us through eyes of mercy.
You might see wounded but God sees Mended.
Praise God for that.