Thumbs Up

So much of my life, I would DO something in order to BE something. I equated much of my value from the approval of others or what I accomplished. I tried to be everything for everyone, because I wanted to be loved and cared for. Even my walk with the Lord became about doing, as if the more I did for God, the more He would love me. I placed a big portion of my identity in pastoring a church and what I viewed as success within that role. When I stepped down from pastoring, the transition was extremely difficult. Who was I now? What was my purpose? Thank God, in my time of healing, a friend of mine named Stephen, reminded me of a truth I desperately needed to hear. This was the text he sent me:

Thinking of you this morning man. You’re a loved son, Jared. Always have been, always will be. Fully loved, fully accepted, fully affirmed in Him. You’ve gotten the thumbs up from the only thumb that matters.

No matter how you feel right now, you are a loved son or daughter.

No matter how you perceive life to be going, you are a loved son or daughter.

Whether you are on a mountaintop or in the valley during a period of healing, you are a loved son or daughter.

This statement is the most important truth for you and about you. There is nothing you could do or not do to change that. God doesn’t love you any less when life goes differently than you planned. That takes the pressure away from performance. Being loved by Christ makes you more valuable than anything else this world could offer. Dwell on that truth every single morning and let it dictate your perspective that day. Because like Stephen said: You’ve gotten the thumbs up from the only thumb that matters.