Perfect in Love

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
- John 4:18

Being a child of God means I am perfectly loved. God loves me in every moment of all of my days. When I am lonely, he loves me. When I doubt, he loves me. When I feel inadequate, he still manages to love me. This is more than the loving patience of my parents, it’s so strong it casts out fear.

Therefore, as a child of God, I have no need to worry about my future. It holds whatever God wants it to contain. If God wants me in grad school, he will make that clear – hopefully by setting some sort of passion in my path to actually study. If he wants me to be hopping around everywhere, I can do that too. It’s God’s life, not mine. The only job he has given me is to become more perfect in love – becoming more faithful and less afraid. Yes, my occupation could have a role in this, but it is not my primary function. Thank the Lord!

Child of God

“So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.”
Galatians 3:24-26

Most Christians have heard that they are children of God. As a church, we enjoy claiming this gift because it brings us into closer relationship with God, giving us a starting point from which to define our relationship.

Now, imagine a world where all Christians actually lived like that. Our value and identity would come from God alone instead of from our work, looks, successes, hobbies, and even our earthly family. This tends to preclude nasty things like arrogance, greed, and competition. Yes, we would need enough to survive, but past that we wouldn’t need any more stuff.

Yes, this was a simple and short post, but I want to be thinking every day about what being a child of God really means. I want to put my value in him instead of in the world. It’s a powerful idea that the church has not explored to its fullest extent. In fact, it is the place that all Christians need to consider as they walk with God. The moment a person accepts Christ, God adopts them as a child. He is their guardian – not the law and not the church. Identity comes straight from him, as if each Christian bears his name instead of individual surnames.

Value Problem

Over the years, I have connected my self-worth to academics. Honestly, I probably wouldn’t have noticed if it hadn’t been for my boyfriend and the constant reminder that I am not a terribly academically minded person. I mean, I don’t particularly want to be a valedictorian, but I am filled with jealousy of the idea of him claiming that special honour. Part of it is that I selfishly think that I could be there, but I studied at Oxford and “killed” my GPA. But that is just a petty excuse – the real problem goes far deeper.

It turns out that I am unable to comprehend that I am a valuable person if I cannot be the best at something, particularly academics. Some people handle this sort of jealousy with ease and are able to shrug it off, maybe with a small pang. Not me. I get extremely frustrated with the people I can’t “beat,” growling at them in anger if they try to help me. I don’t want assistance – it hurts my pride – but they hear my irritation as a plea for a problem-solver. It’s really a cry for meaning, for someone to tell me that I really do mean more than just my academic standing. Maybe even encourage me that there is a job that I could do well.

All that to say, I apparently have a value problem. However, I refuse to be bitter and competitive, jealous of others’ success and always dissatisfied with my life. So, I’m going to try doing a month of blogs of what it means to have value in God. Fundamentally, I am a child of God and nothing can take that from me. I’ll probably focus primarily on single Bible verses, which is not particularly theologically sound, but I hope to pick out themes that are reflected in other parts of the Bible. And maybe, just maybe, I will actually remember to complete this project now that I have shared it with you.