Why do we find ourselves settling for less than our value? The Father looks at His children and He sees beauty, He sees something worth holding out for, why should we see ourselves as anything less than that. Its like if you went into a store and you have the choice between the most wonderful chocolate in the world, I’m talking about creamy, smooth, great smelling, and a taste that leaves you speechless, chocolate. Chocolate that is so good you dream about it. Or you can pick the chocolate that is old, the kind you got in the cute tin for valentines day three years ago that the chocolate is not really good enough to eat, the one you stuck in the bottom of your dresser drawer that now when you open it, it has grubs growing in it.( this really happened to me) If you had the choice, which would you choose? I think most of us would agree that we want the good one, the one that has us coming back for more.
VS.
I have seen so many times in my life and lives of ones I love that we sell ourselves short, we settle for the chocolate that has grubs in it. Ewww, its gross, why do we do that? Here are a few theories,
1) It’s easier to pick up what familiar, if your use to eating bug filled chocolate why change? What if you don’t like the yummy chocolate as much, or the process of getting to that yummy stuff is just too much, it’s just to hard. Maybe it’s just too hard to let go of what you have always known.
2) The grub filled chocolate is there, I don’t really want to strive for something else, so I will just eat what’s in front of me. What if it gets hard?
3) What if I wait for the good chocolate, and it never comes. I guess I should just eat this other stuff to try and satisfy my needs now, just incase the other stuff never comes. But then you will get a parasite or throw up or something.
4) This one kills me the most, what if I am not good enough to have that amazing chocolate, so I guess I will settle for this one because its convenient, it’s here, it’s calling my name and telling me I’m beautiful. But the grub infested chocolate leaves you feeling sick and needing more, needing something else. But what?
I see all to often (myself included in this) people walking around that are wounded, but instead of going to the doctor where this awesome medicine that will help your skin grow back stronger and healthier than before will be induced, we turn to our own ways. I put a band aid over it thinking, now no body will ever know how hurt I was. I walk around like everything is so great and there were never any problems, when the whole time I have puss flying everywhere, oh man, it just hit Joe in the face, now he is infected. Well at least my mama taught me how to share right… Wrong! We have an option set before us, there is this wonderful hospital it’s a beautiful place, its free, there is no charge, there is just a loving doctor, waiting to heal you.
How often do we find hurts in our lives that we put a band aid over, or put a mask on instead of seeking true healing. How often do we try to cover the wound with a relationship, or with a new toy (hello I Pad) to try and cover up the feelings that we have. Why is it so hard for us to take that to the Father for true healing, why is it so hard for us to admit that we are hurt and that we are a little messy. Yes, I am a Hot Mess and here it is!
The one that hurts the most is that we don’t see our value; we don’t see our worth how the Lord sees us and calls us chosen. We grab onto the first thing that resembles chocolate. We go to the first tienda (Little Guate convenient store) We ask for chocolate and the person says, yes I have that, they open their hand and its filled with some mushy brown stuff with bugs in it, I’m talking sick, nasty, live bugs. We willingly agree. We pay more than we should and we eat it. We know that there is better stuff out there and yet we settle out of fear of the work it might take to find the chocolate that is good enough to eat. Or maybe we take it out of the fear that there is no better chocolate in Guatemala, or we take it because that’s what we believe we are worthy of having. Why do we settle when we are worth so much more? This could look like staying at a job where you hate because you are afraid that you cant find anything else, or maybe staying in your home town because its what you know, when your dreams are to get out there and explore, or maybe this looks like jumping into a relationship with the first guy that seems interested in you because you have been hurt to many times before. Even though he does not treat you well, you tell yourself that he is the best you can do, or you believe the lie that your not worthy enough to be loved well.
Enough is enough. You were bought at a high price. You were bought with the sacrifice of a life, Jesus. The Father sent his only Son to the earth to take your (and my) punishment of sin, our payment for the things we do. In that moment where Jesus died on the cross, our lives were bought, so that we could be set free. It reminds me of the movie Aladdin; his last wish (he only gets three) is that the genie be set free. There was a payment there, the sacrifice of his last wish, the one he could have used to change his life, he sacrificed for the freedom of the one he cared for. In the same way (but so much more, just go with me on this), the Father sacrificed His Son as payment for our sins, so that we may be free. Then why do we constantly settle? If the Lord is constantly trying to hand us good chocolate, why do we keep going back to the bug invested stuff?
Where are the areas in your life where you are choosing the bugs over the good chocolate? Where are the areas in your life that you don’t feel like you are good enough to enjoy the good chocolate? Where are the areas in your life that you need to put down the bug infested stuff and go for the good stuff? I am seeing areas in my life where I have clearly chosen bugs over yummy chocolate. I am also stepping up and seeing that if the Lord calls me beautiful and He sees me to be good enough for the yummy chocolate, then its worth the wait or maybe even the search from tienda to tienda looking for the good stuff. The truth is, I am willing to hold out and wait, wait for the good stuff and not settle for any less. What about you?
