True Story

Have you ever been lied to? If it was someone you care for who lied to you, your heart may break a little for them. You might ache because you know they are better than that. You want them to trust you and see you as someone who wants the best for them. If you've been lied to by someone who is supposed to care for you, that can hurt a lot. You may feel betrayed. You might feel like a fool. You might wonder how long they have been lying to you, or about what other things. You might wonder why they lied or why you ever trusted them. But there is something worse, you could be lying to yourself.

Have you ever told yourself that the number you see on the bathroom scale reflects your value as a person? I mean, I'm sure you didn't say it in quite that way, but how did you feel when you first got up? Ready to slip into your favorite jeans? But when you stepped off of that scale, you went straight to the closet and grabbed your sweats. Your confidence was dashed by a number staring back at you from the bathroom floor, and you told yourself that today was a wash. Have you ever told yourself you were worth it? That has been L'Oreal Cosmetics' slogan for years. Translated in over forty languages, they have been telling women they were worth it since 1971. Clearly, there is an ulterior motive: buy their products. But, when we tell ourselves that, why can't we seem to recognize we're selling ourselves a bill of goods? Why don't we see an ulterior motive in that? 

The Bible's message is not, nor has it ever been our worth. The Bible's message is not that we are inconsequential or unloved, nor is it that we are worthy of anything but the penalty we choose, either by accepting the death of our Lord on the cross as our own or rejecting God's grace. When God looked on His creation after He had formed man, He called it "very good." The Bible celebrates our design, saying we are "fearfully and wonderfully made." But the Bible tells us we are like sheep, prone to wander from the safety and goodness of God. Whatever wisdom or righteousness we can manufacture in and of ourselves is evil, disgusting, and utterly without value. The Bible says we really need to have a firm grasp on the truth when we think about who we are. Its message is God's worth. Because of God's worth, those who are in Christ Jesus have a new identity. It's not self-esteem, but Christ-esteem. We are children of God, friends of Jesus, freemen, more than conquerors, new creations, redeemed, a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own special people, walking in light -- just to name a few. 

Our hearts are deceitful; they will lie to us and tell us what we want to hear so that our plans go smoothly, or rejection doesn't hurt, or we don't have to obey what God is calling us to do, or any one of a million reasons. But God tells us the truth -- always. Isn't it time we follow His lead?