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"My God doesn’t need me, HE WANTS ME! Wow! That’s a game changer."
As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 81.
Which would you rather be? Do you find it more appealing to be needed by someone or wanted by them? I have to admit, it is very nice to be so capable in my abilities to be wanted by others. It feels really good when what you do is so appreciated that you are in high demand. But when it comes to victor living, nothing beats being wanted.
When we are needed, our connection with others is based on what we do. When we are wanted, our connection springs from who you are. Sad thing is that, we settle for being wanted so often because of the fear that if people really knew us, we wouldn't be wanted.
That's the amazing thing about a relationship with this God through Jesus Christ. He doesn't need us. Pastor Aaron at my church said the other day that God is completely self sufficient in his triune being. Father, Son and Holy Spirit are complete. We don't bring anything to the table that they need. There is nothing we can do that comes close to all this being called God represents.
Then why did God create us in the first place if He didn't need us to be a part of His life? I have thought about that question so many times in the past. All the answers I have come up with have their basis on my broken filters of life. When I try to find the because behind the why when it comes to me being created, all I get are dysfunctional responses based on the brokenness that has been part of my life.
When Aaron said that God is complete, it made things get a bit more clear to me. God didn't need me - He wants me! I believe that God created because it is in His nature to create. Where do I get that thought. It comes from the fact that humans are an extremely creative lot of beings. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree when it comes to who we are and who this God is that loves us. If we are made in the image of this God, then why wouldn't we be as creative as our creator?
No, we weren't created because God needed something from us that He was missing. He created us because He's a creator. We tend to get into places where victim thinking can take hold when we try to prove our worth to God and to others by what we do. When our actions don't turn out the way we thought they would, this strategy makes identity becomes something it never was intended to be in our lives. Victim thinking happens when we use our creative abilities to try to make an identity for ourselves.
Aaron made a comment about us being created that really drove home the fact that we are wanted. Take a look at today's Bible reading with me now and I'll explain what Aaron said about this verse in a minute.
At the time God made Earth and Heaven, before any grasses or shrubs had sprouted from the ground—God hadn’t yet sent rain on Earth, nor was there anyone around to work the ground (the whole Earth was watered by underground springs)—God formed Man out of dirt from the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life. The Man came alive—a living soul! Genesis 2:5-7 (MSG)
Aaron reminded us that up to this point, everything God created was spoken into existence. When it was time for dry land to be made, God said the words and dry land appeared. Same went for the stars, the oceans, and even the animals. When it came to humans, God did something very different. God got His hands dirty in a very personal and intimate way to make you and me come to life.
It says in today's reading that God formed man from the dirt of the ground. Have you ever watched a sculpture work a piece of clay? It is such an interesting process. Sometimes the sculpting is very quick and extreme. Other times, the clay is carefully and meticulously worked. The artist knows when to lop off pieces and when to carefully make changes to his handiwork.
That's how we were formed. The hands of the master worked us into our current form. Then He did something that is so amazing. He breathed life into our lungs. Aaron made a comparison to how an adult gives mouth-to-mouth to a baby. When we are breathing for an infant we cover both their nose and mouth with our mouth. This is a very personal and intimate process of giving life. So it was with God when He breathed life into our souls.
God could have just as easily called forth humans as He did every other thing we know in creation. The power of His words is enough to make anything happen. With people, He did something very different. I believe He did this to show us how much we are wanted when we are tempted to settle for wanting to be needed.
Not only is God a creative being, He is a relational being as well. I believe He wanted us to realize how much He wants to relate to us by taking special care of making us in the way that He did. It is when we choose to ignore the relational aspects of our creation and settle for doing for our self what God wants us to get from Him that we head down the path to victim thinking.
Next time you feel disappointment over something you have done that didn't turn out quite the way you wanted it to, stop and think about how God formed you. Remember how intimate His touch has been in your life. Remember how His breath is what makes your life be what it is to be. Remember that He isn't looking to the success of your actions as proof that you are acceptable. All He wants is for you to be exactly what He calls you to be.
You are His Child. That is enough for Him to be all the victor you will ever be in His eyes. Keep on creating all you want but don't let the relative success of your creations be what makes you think that you are more or less valuable to this God that made you. Walk in the power of who you are and let victor living be seen in all you create today.
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