Child's Eyes

I had a friend talk to me about her feelings of unworthiness.  She was being offered a particular blessing and the thoughts that the enemy kept throwing at her was that she was not good enough...that she didn't deserve the blessing...that this goodness was too much for her.

Lies, Lies, Lies.

That day coming home from work I started to pray for her and I paused to think about what I should pray...should I pray that she feels "good enough?"  Should I pray that she knows how great she is? Should I pray that her feelings of unworthiness go away?

As I was thinking about these particular ideas I realized that I was coming at this from the total wrong angle.

A blessing from God is not about whether or not we are good enough.  It has nothing to do with our worth or our performance or our abilities.  She isn't good enough.  I'm not good enough.  And neither are you.  And that's actually a beautiful thing.  We are blessed because of God's goodness and kindness.  We don't earn it.  We receive it.  OH Such beautiful, freeing grace.

And so I prayed that she would receive his blessing like a child.  As a gift.  Simply thankful to have been chosen for the blessing.

And with this knowledge, worship is the only natural response.  Worship of the one who loves us, redeems us, and blesses us JUST as we are.
...And then starts the beautiful work of making us more like Jesus.  Sanctification.

May we receive his goodness in this way.  Not tied to actions, or our past, or our present, or the labels we like to give ourselves...

but simply because of who HE, is.

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."  - James 1:17