CRIPPLING SELF-DOUBT

“And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” (Gen 1: 31)

My spiritual journey consists mainly of developing, in God’s light, in God’s grace, three essential relationships, all interrelated: 1. My relationship with God; 2. My relationship with myself; 3. My relationship with other people. Today I’m thinking about the second one, my relationship to myself.

The above-cited passage in the book of Genesis reminds me that, as part of the whole picture of His creation, God sees me, as well as all other people, as “very good.” This “very goodness” exists as a whole, within the interrelated whole of Creator and creation; of “every thing that He had made.”

I begin to realize my dignity and my “very goodness,” that is, I begin to see myself as God sees me, when I maintain my connection to Him daily, shedding His light on all my aspirations and actions. When I separate myself from God, on the other hand, I am left with a crippling self-doubt, like Adam and Eve who realize they’re naked in the garden. There’s suddenly a sense of shame and a loss of trust in God, in themselves, and in each other. Because it is God’s grace that is the “glue,” so to say, that keeps the whole, interrelated “very goodness” of creation together.

Today let me renew the God-given “very goodness” of myself, by renewing my connection to Him. His grace removes my human shame, my human self-doubt, and clothes me in His dignity. Let me move forward and grow with Him and in Him; in His wisdom, His courage, and His divine-human dignity.

#fear