How do you see yourself?

What’s the price of two or three pet canaries? Some loose change, right? But God never overlooks a single one. And he pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head! So don’t be intimidated by all this bully talk. You’re worth more than a million canaries. (Luke 12:6-7 MSG)

We have a bully for an enemy and he employs 'bullies' right here on this earth to attempt to dissuade us from following Jesus with our whole heart, mind, body, and soul. He uses people - you heard me right - he uses other people to discourage you, get you distracted, and hopefully pull you off-course. What is worse is when we allow our own self-talk to 'bully' us into believing lies about ourselves!

God cares more about us than any other creature roaming this earth. Yet, he takes special care and maintains a watchful eye over all creatures, big and small. If he is watchful of their needs, how they find their way in life, what makes us so willing to believe our enemy's lies when he tells us we aren't perfect, won't add up to much, or haven't got what it takes to 'make it'? 

The price paid for our lives - the life of his one and only Son, Jesus. The value of our lives - it is bigger than we could ever imagine, but that doesn't give us permission to belittle ourselves or take the belittling comments of others as true. The way we see ourselves often inhibits the progress we make in our walk with Jesus and in our relationships with others. 

We might have taken into our hearts and committed to a prominent part of our memory some of our enemy's 'bullish lies' against us as truth. Those lies are meant to keep us weighted down with worries. Worries about our value, not so much our net worth, but our value within those relationships. Worries about our abilities, having believed that we aren't 'good enough' to be of service to God. The lies inhibit us, don't they?

God's watchful eye is on us - when we are 'good' and when we are 'not so good'. He is attentive to our needs, knowing we might not ask for them to be met, even when we should. He is attracted to our worship, for it is a thing of great beauty and enjoyment to him, even when it is 'less than perfect' in the eyes of others. It is time we begin to see ourselves as God sees us - valued, of greatest importance, and the object of his attentive care. Just sayin!