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Unworthy

One of the things that we humans do rather instinctively is to assess people by what we might call their "worthiness." We seem to have a built in desire to honour those we consider to be worthy. The other day, I read an article about "ordinary heroes." These people had been recognized in various ways. Some received medals. Others had dinners thrown in their honour. Still others received recognition in the press. We would all support these actions because they were well deserved. Some had saved a life. Others had interrupted a crime. Still others had performed acts of self-sacrifice in order to help the helpless.

As we assess the worthiness of others, it is inevitable that we intentionally or inadvertently compare ourselves. Sometimes, we simply use ourselves as the standard. If we decide that someone's action was in excess of what we think we would be willing to do, we applaud them and see them as worthy individuals. If someone's behaviour falls below the standard to which we hold ourselves, we view them as unworthy.

If we are the least bit objective in this process, we notice that there are others who are more worthy than we are. They are more talented. They are smarter. They are physically stronger. They are more attractive. They are more daring. They are more giving. Associated with these things are the logical social consequences. They are more respected. They have wider influence. They have more friends. They are more popular. On and on it goes. And all of this can make us feel our unworthiness rather sharply.

Some of us begin to develop a negative self-image, seeing ourselves as comparing unfavourably in at least some aspect with everyone else we know. Gradually we shift from seeing ourselves as unworthy to being worthless. This is an unhealthy place to be psychologically, because it is unrealistic. At the same time, some of us begin to develop an inflated sense of our importance, seeing ourselves as better than everyone else in at least some area. Gradually, we begin to consider ourselves as truly worthy - entitled - above the rules that apply to ordinary mortals. This, too, is an unhealthy place to be psychologically, because it, too, is unrealistic.

When we view ourselves unrealistically, by either over- or underestimating our significance, we distort our perception of how others see us. This has all kinds of ramifications socially. I'm not going to try to address those. What concerns me today is the distortion in our understanding of how God sees us. Some will see themselves as too low, too wicked, too worthless to be of interest to God. They can lose out because they don't recognize God's effort to reach out to them. Others will see themselves as too important, too good, too busy to have time for God. They can lose out because they don't recognize their need to respond to God's expressions of grace and love.

It's worth reminding ourselves that God does not categorize humanity into two classes: worthy and unworthy. None of us is worthy, but none of us is worthless. Phrased another way. We are all unworthy, but we are all of great worth to God. How you feel about yourself does not change the way God sees you, nor does it affect your need to respond to Him.

Jesus stepped in and took the place of each of us. The wise and foolish. The strong and the weak. The gifted and the inept. The optimists and the pessimists. Categories like these don't figure into the equation at all. God's love is directed toward all of us. Romans 10:12 tells us that "the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him" (ESV). Take a moment. Move beyond your assessment of yourself and how you rate against others. Try to see yourself as God sees you. See His love for you. Accept the sacrifice of Jesus in your place. Step into the reality of being the person God means for you to be.

Ron Hughes
© April 2008