I began writing this post without much direction of where it would go. Honestly, it started out more for me than anyone else - a journal entry of sorts, jotting down and reminding myself of how the Lord sees me. My mind has easily been distracted, often wavering and lying to me about my value and worth. I've been in such a strange place of overthinking the way God loves me and wants me, and this post became a personal encouragement of the truth. As I've moved through the process of writing this post though, my prayer has become that you would be just as encouraged by these words as I am. I pray that you would be reminded of how much the Father loves you, that He looks at you with kindness, and that He desires relationship with you, no matter how far gone you feel.
The Father sees you. But when He looks at you, He doesn't see the same scars and sin and brokenness that you see. He sees a cloak of righteousness wrapped around your shoulders - you, His chosen, adopted, wanted child.
As you kneel before Him, crying and wounded, He gently places a crown of love and compassion on your head (Psalm 103:4), because in His eyes, you are royalty. You are His princess or prince, and He lavishes all His grace and mercy on you.
When you look in the mirror and nitpick all your flaws, the Father doesn't see you that way. He sees the beautiful person that He personally handcrafted and knit together, with His own two hands. He sees the eyes that He designed to watch the sunrises and sunsets that He painted just for you. He sees the mouth that He formed to sing His praises and speak words of life. He sees the ears that He crafted to hear His voice. But most of all, He sees straight through to your heart - the one He intentionally made to love, to learn, to heal, and to forgive.
He sees you as more beautiful than all the fields of flowers - which is miraculous, because He so tenderly planted and nurtured every bloom. He clothes them in splendor, yet promises to take care of you even more (Matthew 6:28-40). He takes delight in tending to the soil of your heart, and gently removes every weed of bitterness, pain, and hurt. The Father wants to take the time to create a life giving, redemptive story for the garden which is your heart, if only you’d give Him the key through the gate.
When you come running back home like the prodigal son, God is the Father running to meet you, and He is so delighted that you have returned. There is no question of His grace, of His joy that you're simply back home, and there's no questions about what you did while you were away. Instead, He looks at you with awe, only wanting to lavish you in His love and blessings, never casting shame, yet always reminding you that you are so welcome back at His place.
Jesus sees your faithfulness and is filled with pride. He is so grateful for your commitment, your daily decision to follow after Him. He celebrates daily that you are in companionship, in such an intentional relationship, and He sees you as a blessing, a key part in His divine plan.
He also sees your distance, the struggle you're facing with sin and worldly things. He loves you and is proud of your resistance, of the way that you return to Him time and time again. He's not disappointed, but instead He sees your heart and the battle and He chooses you, over and over again.
While you cry quietly alone, screaming to the ends of the world, He sees that too. He sees the aching in your soul, and He tenderly pulls you in. The Father's touch is more than gentle, because He knows the way you've been wounded and broken. But He knows that you are more than the way you're feeling, the thoughts that can't seem to leave, and the way you're constantly wrestling with yourself. He declares that you are more than all of that, that you are more than the way you see yourself, that you are more than what the world may define you as. He sees you and softly reminds you that you are worthy, that you are renewed, and that this is not the final chapter.
When God looks at you, He does not see the heavy blanket of sin, shame, and sadness that weighs you down sometimes. He sees you dressed in fine, crisp, white linen, pure and clean. He sees you as glowing, a bright light, a kingdom worker, an ambassador and coworker in His plan. In His eyes, you are perfect. The Father knows your sin and chooses to wipe them away, chooses to adorn you in righteousness and holiness, chooses to see you as His flawless son, Christ.
He sees you and He loves you.
And although I cannot fully know what He would say to you at this moment, this is what He is putting on my heart.
"I love you. I love you more than life itself, in a way that cannot be quantified or contained. I know every part of your story, see every part of your soul, and I choose you. I know the wounds and the sorrow and the brokenness, and I love you anyways. I choose you anyways. I see your faithfulness, your passion, your dedication to the things of my kingdom, and I'm so proud of you. But that is not why I love you. I love you because you are my creation, my chosen one, my handiwork, the apple of my eye, the one I died for. I gave it all up for you, and I would do it a million times over again. I see all of the hurt, all of the joy, all of the good and the bad and in between, and yet I am faithful. My heart for you never changes, and that is a promise that I will never, ever break."
God is good, sweet friend. And words will never be able to capture the greatness of that.
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