What is your relationship like with God? Do you feel safe, connected, and deeply loved? Or, do you spend a lot of time wondering about the question, “How does God see me?” not quite sure His opinion is positive? When there is uncertainty about God’s feelings towards us, life can often feel very insecure.

How Do You See Yourself?

There is a classic example in scripture of how our poor self- images affect our behavior and may differ a great deal from the way God sees us. In the story of Gideon, in chapter 6 of the Book of Judges, the angel of the Lord comes to meet him and says, “Hello, mighty man of valor.” Gideon’s response to that is that his clan is the weakest in his tribe and he is the least member of it! (Judges 6:15 NKJV)

Do you think about yourself like Gideon did? Sometimes, because of rejection, criticism, failures, and other forms of pain and hurt, we can come to think of ourselves as being not much. We even operate under the view that God does not care for us much. We may think we have to strive and perform to try and get God to like us.

But, much of what we believe in our minds about God and ourselves may be fed by lies. When we begin to understand God’s heart towards us and His plans for us everything changes.

What God Really Says About You

Rather than calling us inept, unloveable, or hopeless, God has very different things to say about us. For those who have come to faith in God through Christ, He says that we are both His children and a chosen race…a holy nation:

“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12 ESV

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9 ESV

These verses do not speak of our being unwanted or our being seen as nothing. Yes, we have a lot of growing up to do even after we become believers, but there is much good news about how God sees us. He loves us deeply. What’s more:

1. He calls what is not into being.

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus looked at Peter and said, “And I tell you that you are Peter (Greek form means rock), and on this rock, I will build my church.” Peter had done nothing yet to earn that title or that much trust. In fact, he was known for being impulsive and lacking understanding of the mission of Jesus. But God “gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.” (Romans 4:17 NIV) God brings good out in us. He brings out what He meant for us to be when He created us.

2. He looks at the heart not at the outside.

Furthermore, He looks at our hearts, not judging us from the outside as people tend to do. In the story about the prophet Samuel going to David’s family in 1 Samuel 16, Samuel arrives to anoint the next king. Eliab is the first brother he sees and Samuel thinks, “This one looks great! Surely he’s the next king.”

But in 1 Samuel 16:7, the heart of the LORD is expressed. God says, “Don’t 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.”

It’s such good news to know that God does not size us up the way the world does or even look at us in the harsh, critical way in which we often look at ourselves. He has a much kinder measuring system.

3. God treasures intentions more than results.

How does God see you? He treasures what’s in your heart more than your performance. This is very different from the way people size us up and from the way we compare ourselves to others.

In Luke 21:1-4, there is a beautiful story of a poor widow who comes to the Temple and stops to give her offering. Jesus is watching. She only puts in two small coins. So many others pass by and also put offering in the box, theirs being much more than hers but also what they could easily spare. Jesus’ praise for the woman was generous. “She has put in more than all the others…out of her poverty, she put in all she had to live on.”

See Yourself As God Sees You

In a book called Freedom From Addiction by Dr. Neil T. Anderson, there is a chart in the back of the book (Appendix A) with the title, Who I Am in Christ. What is written underneath this title can also be found on bookmarks sold by Dr. Anderson’s ministry, Freedom in Christ, at www.ficm.org.

Underneath “Who I Am in Christ,” are these three subheadings, I am Accepted, I am Secure, I am Significant.  Beneath each of the subheadings are some statements for reading out loud – declaring about one’s self with an associated Bible verse. Here are a few samples:

“I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins.” Colossians 1:14

“Now I am free forever from condemnation.” Romans 8:1,2

“I may approach God with freedom and confidence.” Ephesians 3:12

When we read the truth from the Bible about who we are to God and who we are in Christ, it helps to chase a way the lies about our worth. God sees you with eyes of love. Be blessed.

Further Reading:

For more about the heart of God for us, read this article, Papa