What Others See in Us

So often I don’t see myself the way others see me.

When someone takes the time to tell me something they like about me—how I look, a talent I have, or the way I handled a situation, I don’t always receive it graciously.

May I ask, how do you receive a compliment?

Do you say “thank you” and allow the kind words to seep in and warm your heart? Or do you dismiss the praise and offer reasons why it cannot be true?

For example:

“You look nice today.”
(eye roll) “Ugh, my hair is a mess.”

“You handled that meeting well.”
“Yea, right. I didn’t know what I was doing.”

I’ve done both, but until recently I didn’t realize what the second one, the denial, says to the other person.

When someone makes a point to tell me something they like about me and I respond by pointing out my imperfections, I’m basically telling the other person that what he or she thinks is wrong. It’s like saying, “Your opinion doesn’t matter because this is the way I see myself.”

So, what are we telling God when we can’t or won’t receive and believe what He says about us?

I hate to think of the times I’ve questioned what God sees in me. Have I really been telling Him what He thinks doesn’t matter?

God doesn’t tell us what He thinks we want to hear. When He makes a promise, He keeps it. Always. When He says something, it’s Truth. Period. His Word backs it up.

God says He loves us—so much so that He sacrificed His Only Son for us. What are we saying when we think we’ve gone too far and He must no longer love us?
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39 NLT)
He says we are His children—chosen and adopted into His family. How can we continue to live otherwise?
…you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:15 NLT)
He says we are forgiven—washed clean through His Son, Jesus, yet we continue to live in sin and guilt.
…if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous.  He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world. (1 John 2:1-2 NLT)
I am writing to you who are God’s children because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus. (1 John 2:12 NLT)
God’s Word says we are created in His image, but we disregard this and continue to criticize ourselves.
So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27 NLT)
My friends, God sees in us what we don’t see. He knows what we don’t know about ourselves. Will you join me today in accepting what God says about you? Don’t dismiss it or turn away. Soak it in, believe it, and say “thank you.”

Thanks for joining me here today. We are in Chapter 10 “Do You Know I Am Ordinary?...He Is My King and Father” of Do You Know Who I Am? by Angela Thomas.

In Christ,
Laura

17 comments:

  1. I needed to hear this today Laura. I have been criticizing myself all day! I am so glad you posted this.

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    1. Thank you Wendy for giving me a glimpse of God at work. Praying your day gets better!

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  2. This is so important ... thank you ... gives me reason to think about so much of what happens in the blog world as well as what happens at home. take care

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    1. Thank you for your visit and comment today. God bless!

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  3. I'm certain you wrote this for me, Laura. I see Him in your words. And I'm receiving the message loud and clear.
    Thank you. For allowing Him to use you for His glory, friend.

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    1. Nikki, your kind words brought tears to my eyes. Thank you for letting me see Him at work. Bless you friend!

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  4. No, Nikki, Laura wrote this for me ;-) as I needed it too!! I read the first line "So often I don’t see myself the way others see me," of what you wrote, and thought of negative things about myself. That wasn't what you were saying as you continued to write your sweet post.

    Wendy, I hope your day turns out better. I have days where I think negatively about myself and though I can still sin as a Christian (and must have God's cleansing), He doesn't see me like that if I am not living in habitual sin.

    I would like to include this post on a couple of my favorite posts on Friday, if you would give me permission??

    Thanks for your kind words of encouragement today.

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    1. Judith, I would be honored to be included in your favorite posts on Friday. Thank you so much for your encouraging comment. I love seeing the discussion going on in the comment section...just what I'd hoped for. :)

      Blessings to you,
      Laura

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  5. I found you through the Faith Filled Fridays blog hop and so glad that I did. What a fantastic post! I have never been very good at taking compliments, this is a great reminder. Thank you!

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  6. Laura - I often have difficulty in responding to a compliment as I don't want people to think I'm conceited. However, I had never thought of it in terms of responding to what God says about us.

    Great post!

    Blessings,
    Joan

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  7. Thank you for this reminder. Sometimes we can think we are being humble by not accepting a compliment. But it's actually the opposite. God's Word says who we are in Christ. We need to take Him at His Word and believe even if our feelings don't always match.

    Beautiful post!

    Blessings and love,
    Debbie

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  8. I also think you wrote this for me Laura and I too never thought of it as responding as to what God says about us. Thank you for this friend!

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  9. I think this is a problem for many people. We need to learn to always receive compliments graciously and not try to minimize what the other person meant as a compliment.
    Blessings,
    Charlotte

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  10. I think if we don't receive compliments, it can be an insult to the person giving the compliment! Thank you for sharing and be blessed :)

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  11. Oh friend, I've been so scattered this month and barely keeping up. This post is timely for me, for I am in a season of struggling with this very think. So thankful I stopped by today via Kris' link up for "Encore" posts!

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