To have someone say those magical words to us, especially if it is someone in authority over us, a parent, a boss, really whoever, to hear them say that they are proud of you, that you are worth something to them makes us feel fantastic.
I am well-pleased with you.
In fact, it defines many people's lives, myself included. Or at least it used to. You see I am one of those perfectionists. Those people who strive to do good work, and in great work, we find identity and value.
But I realised that there is something more than that. I came across this passage the other day while reading, and I must have read it a million times before, but this time something stood out to me. I saw this is a new light.
"You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."
Mark 1:11b
I saw this and something jumped out to me. The very firs thing that God the Father says to the Son, in public at least, is this.
You are mine, you are my Son, my own, and I love you.
He then says that He is well-pleased with him, but he didnt say that first. His first words were an affirmation, not of Jesus' works, or even character, but of His identity, and of the value that the Father would place on Him.
Is He not saying the same thing to us today? In a world where success is supreme, we get so caught up in deeds, in actions that we forget that we are who we are. It is Him who gives us value, nothing else.
It is not through our actions, however great that they may be, that He loves us. But it's because He is our Dad. He created you, because He loves you. Not so that you can work for Him. He could ahve created slaves and worker-robots, but He didn't. he created decision making humans, who choose whether to live in Him or not.
The words we all want to hear, sometimes are the words we don't need to hear. We want people to be proud of us, so we strive to be the person who someone can be proud of. But God calls us to simply rest.
He just wants to say, I love you. You are my beloved child, in whom I have placed myself. I placed the stars in the sky so that you might know me, so that you can enjoy me.
I know that I have to continually have this revelation. God is not after my works, though He has prepared good works for me to do, but He is after my heart, my ear, and my all.
All He wants is YOU.
Peace!
Daniel