Reflections based on Ephesians 1:3–8.

‘In love he predestined us for adoption’ (vv4–5)

Our society is always pushing us to do more, achieve more, be more – and listening to its messages can erode our sense of self-worth. On top of that, many of us have experienced isolation, deep losses and difficulty with concentration this year. This can cause us to feel unloved and unworthy. I know that struggling with a sense of low self-esteem is hugely difficult, and I certainly don’t want to belittle what some of you may have been through as a result.

REMINDING OURSELVES OF TRUTH

My intention in writing is to encourage each one of us to remind ourselves of who God says we are. In order to counteract the negative pressure, we need to continually soak ourselves in truth. So let’s look at who God says we are – and why – in this passage.

Firstly, God chose us to be His ‘before the creation of the world’ (v4). We aren’t worthy in and of ourselves, but because God chose to make us ‘holy and blameless in his sight’ through the sacrifice of Jesus (v4). Why did God do this? Verse five gives us the answer ‘in accordance with his pleasure and will’. Just let that truth soak into you: you are worthy of His love through Jesus, and it gives God great pleasure to love you!

LOVING OURSELVES ISN’T SELFISH

I know that the Church can have a tendency to be affected by the culture around it. As a result, some are concerned that churches in the West are becoming too ‘I’ centred. I understand that, and think there is some truth to it. But knowing our sense of worth, as it is found in Jesus, and learning to love ourselves as God loves us, isn’t a selfish thing. In Matthew 22:38 Jesus said that each one of us should ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’. In order to do this, we need to learn to accept the worth that God gives to us. If you particularly struggle with this, I pray that you are able to take a step closer to acceptance of yourself today.

Prayer: Thank You Lord for the reminder that You find me worthy of Your love – and that I am to love myself too. Help me to do that today. Amen.

If you would like to read more about how we can struggle with our sense of self-worth, this interview with Anne le Tissier contains some helpful truths.

If you know loving yourself is something you find really difficult, I invite you to take a look at Insight into Self-acceptance as you may find it helpful.