This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Matthew 17:5 (NLT)
My wife Sally and I have five kids, and an amazing thing took place when each one was born.
Before my first child was born, I didn’t think I could ever love anyone else as much as I loved Sally. But the moment I set eyes on that baby girl, it was like my heart doubled in capacity.
I didn’t have to share the love I had for Sally with this baby. Sally didn’t suddenly get half as much love as she did before. And when our second child was born, it’s not as if my love were split into thirds. No, my heart expanded each time to love that new little one, and that baby didn’t have to do a single thing to earn my love.
The truth is that God, our heavenly dad, feels the same way about you! You don’t need to do a thing to earn His love. He loved you before you ever accomplished anything. He approves of you. You need to imagine God’s voice coming out of the heavens saying to you, just as He said to Jesus, This is my dearly loved (insert your name here), who brings me great joy (Matthew 3:17, NLT).
You might be thinking, “Yeah, but you don’t know what I did last week.” When it comes to God’s love for you, it doesn’t matter. It’s so important that you realize this so you can begin to base your self-worth on what God thinks of you.
Begin to recognize that God approves of you. He believes in you!