Hope After an Abortionনমুনা
How God Sees You
How we see ourselves and believe others see us often drives our emotions, behaviors, and decisions. We have a deep need to be loved and accepted by others, ourselves, and God. And yet, we often undervalue ourselves or have distorted views of how others see and value us. If our beliefs about ourselves are skewed, then our behaviors, emotions, thoughts, and decisions can also become skewed. If we were, to be honest about the circumstances that led to our unexpected pregnancy or abortion, we might discover that our actions and decisions were driven by a distorted view of ourselves or of God.
To change our underlying beliefs about our own self-worth, it’s helpful to not only self-evaluate and ask trusted friends to add their insight, but also to figure out how God sees us. Since God is the one who created us and the one who offers us love and forgiveness when we are guilty, knowing what God thinks about us is crucial. It matters immeasurably more how God views us than how other people view us. God sees everything we do and knows what is in our hearts; He has witnessed our whole lives and knows us better than we know ourselves.
The Bible tells us exactly how God sees us. In Psalm 139:13-14 and Ephesians 2:10, we learn that God sees each of us as unique individuals that He has personally made and loves.
You are His artistic masterpiece that He dreamed up and delights in! Because God created you intentionally, your life also has meaning and a God-given purpose.
In the first part of Psalm 139, the psalmist describes how well God knows him – nothing is hidden from God’s sight and every day of his life God already foreknew. Even when the psalmist attempts to hide from God, he cannot. This means that God sees the beautiful parts of us and the broken parts of us – the things we can be proud of and the things we want to hide. And yet, God responds to us with love and forgiveness. As discussed yesterday, God invites us back into a relationship with Him, like a parent welcoming back a child.
You can find security in how God sees you. Even if you struggle to see value in yourself, in God’s eyes, you are immeasurably valuable and deeply loved.
Scripture
About this Plan
This seven-day Bible plan is designed to help those recovering from abortion process their emotions and find renewed hope in God's love and forgiveness. This plan is adapted by Suzy Silk from a nine-week support group curriculum offered online and in-person by Avail - a non-profit organization that exists to empower women and men facing an unexpected pregnancy or with a past abortion.
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