What’s your mindset?

Imagine being invited to a classy evening at the theater and for some reason not being able to dress nicely, but showing up in older everyday clothes. You are probably quite embarrassed to come to the lobby where everyone else is having their aperitif in chic evening wear. You behave as inconspicuously as possible, stay on the sidelines and disappear as quickly as possible after the performance. Every time someone looks at you, you wonder what they are thinking and wish you were invisible. In your mind, you don’t belong, wondering what you’re doing here at all and afraid of rejection. And you probably don’t judge yourself very positively at that moment.
Do you have voices in your mind even in normal everyday life that whisper to you that you don’t belong? Do you always have the feeling that you are an unimportant, unnecessary additional inhabitant of the earth, improperly dressed and also otherwise flawed? Inferior, not worthy of being on the same level with everybody else?

The thief comes only in order to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come in order that you might have life—life in all its fullness.
John 10:10

In the Bible, Satan is called a thief. He spreads lies and wants them to take root in our minds. He wants us to get stuck in inferiority, because that way he can prevent us from moving forward powerfully. He wants us to feel out of place and unimportant because then we will not get involved, will be afraid to speak up because we will become more visible to people and thus vulnerable to criticism and rejection.

I assume that in the course of your life you have also come to know the lie and the fear of not being valuable and not being accepted. If this lie gets stuck in your thoughts, it limits you, prevents enthusiasm and commitment, either makes you aggressive or leads to resignation and withdrawal. The result is always negative – negative for yourself and for people around you! (Please do not confuse inferiority with humility and modesty! That is something completely different).

Let’s imagine the theater evening again: If you come to the theater in neat, classy clothes and you like your outfit, you move around the crowd in a good mood and with confidence, you enjoy the atmosphere and feel like you belong. You’re also more likely to share your opinion of the performance during the intermission and feel comfortable and accepted.
That’s how I want to feel at all times – my mind tells me that, yes, my worth doesn’t depend on my appearance. But do I believe it deep in my heart? The old lie of not being good enough is still stuck somewhere. My antidote? Over and over again, I turn my focus to Jesus and what He says about me.

If you believe in Jesus, you are chosen to be called a child of God.

See how much the Father has loved us! His love is so great that we are called God’s children—and so, in fact, we are. 1. John 3:1

How does that make you feel when you think about it? Our wonderful creator God, Lord of the universe, calls you his child and heir. Do you believe that? Does that fill you with gratitude and joy because you know you are valuable no matter what you do, what others think about you, and what is yet to come? Jesus brings life – in all its fullness!

So much depends on this thought, on this awareness – our whole life gets a different perspective! When you have experienced this acceptance and love, you can show up at the aperitif in the theater in your old clothes, knowing that you are not dressed appropriately. And yet you know you are valuable no matter what you look like right now. You can even take it with humor, because you have peace in your heart that you are accepted by God. So the situation around you becomes secondary and does not define you. You are safe.

No matter what comes and no matter what happens around you: You are a beloved child of God!