I recently listened to a sermon by Pastor Colin Lagerwall and I was just brought to tears to think of the Father's assessment of us - that His assessment of us is never based on our right or wrong "doings" (this is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil!) but based simply on His knowledge about my "being" - who I am as His child (this is the tree of life!)..
One thing that really stands stands out to me is that he said that we can be naked before God, and when we stand naked before Him we are not vulnerable and exposed but instead we find ourselves covered with and radiant with His glory!! It is so hard to believe that we are glorious beings, yet we are in His image which is loving, good and glorious and we just shine with love and goodness and glory too! I can't even begin to fathom that..
Another beautiful thing that stuck out to me is that Jesus death and resurrection showed and proved what God's assessment/knowledge of us is: that we are beloved even when we think we are at our worst (for it was when we were still sinners Christ showed His love for us and died for us) and that we are innocent and pure in His eyes, truly with good and loving natures just like our Daddy (for He was raised as proof of our innocence and He honored us by raising us with Him!)..I had never seen it that way! Jesus truly shows us God's opinion of us!
It is so amazing I can't take it all in, just wanted to share these beautiful thoughts..to be able to drop all measures and forget assessing myself by performance, to stop judging myself and just listen to what He says about me, how He feels about me, who He says I am...this is what I want to do. I have been scared to admit my mess, scared to admit my failure. But dropping all pretenses and just being quiet, I really ask You, dear Father, tell me who I am to You..I have only longed to know of Your love and approval, that has been my one desire, and I have always felt so unworthy and bad and sinful..I have not allowed myself permission to be loved because I thought I was so bad that I almost punished myself sometimes with my thoughts and actions..now I just want to hear from You..speak Your love to me and to anyone else who needs to hear it today, to know who we are to You!