“God approved of you before anybody else got a chance to disapprove.”
I saw this quote online, and it struck a chord deep within me. As a woman living in the 21st century, there are many roles that one is expected to fulfill. The role of friend, wife, daughter, mom, sister, encourager, leader, student, praise singer, Sunday school teacher, and the list goes on and on. In today’s world, one must know how to juggle the daily tasks of these roles, along with the ones of work, school, church, and home, seamlessly. We often balance all of our roles precariously on the edge of being overwhelmed and end up feeling inadequate when we can’t. In doing so, we become our own toughest critic, forgetting to add in for ourselves a generous dose of grace. We hold ourselves to the expectation of perfection.
ap·prov·al noun
the action of officially agreeing to something or accepting something as satisfactory.
What we oftentimes forget is that Jesus has approved of us from the start. We forget that since day one of our existence, He is the one who formed us, created us, and knit us in our mother’s womb, as Psalms 139:13 reminds us. How beautiful it is that He knows us from the inside out, through and through, and still loves and approves of us! God does not approve of everything that you do or don’t do, but he approves of who you ARE.
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.When did you decide you were not good enough, smart enough, pretty enough, or just enough in general? Rest today in knowing that Jesus approves of who you are. Being His means that He cares for you, He delights in you, simply because you are His child! Let’s be thankful today for Jesus’ love and share that with all those around us.
