“We need not look anywhere but to the eyes of our Savior for our true identity, an identity which is profoundly complex, unfathomable, deep as the sea, and yet can be boiled down to one little word: beloved.” Andrew Peterson
Yesterday I began reading “Adorning the Dark” by Andrew Peterson, and was instantly hooked. I knew the book was well written (It received several book of the year awards) but was shocked at just how good.
One reason the book speaks to me so deeply is it’s a challenge to create through writing (something that I’ve always been passionate about, but haven’t followed through with much).
Peterson writes in an emotionally transparent style about the challenges of writing…one of the biggest being his fear that the writing or music (he is a musician) won’t be accepted by others.
This fear impacts all of us, even those who don’t write or create music, because we find our identity in what we create (or accomplish). This is a good thing since God calls us to use our talents for His glory. However, this desire for acceptance can keep us from taking those risks.
We all have that little voice in our head that tells us we will fail when God calls us to do something huge. Sadly we often allow that voice to win, choosing to stay where it is “safe” and there’s little to no chance of failure.
Yet as Children of God, we are not called to live in fear
The only way for us to combat that fear of rejection is to find our identity in the finished work of Christ on the cross. To constantly remind ourselves of who we are….
Not wretched sinners without a hope
But wretched sinners Christ as redeemed, and made God’s children
When we meditate on the Gospel and its affect upon our lives, then suddenly failure doesn’t look so bad.
- It cannot separate me from God
- It cannot keep me out of Heaven
- It cannot nullify my redemption and justification through the cross of Christ
In fact God gets glory as we take those risks which could end in failure. He is honored when we fail miserably, get up, and try again. He beams with pride when we push through the fear and anxiety that keeps others where it is safe.
And with every failure we refuse to let Satan tell us we are worthless
Because we are God’s children
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