Well Pleased

When I was a young child, before my dad abandoned our family, I dressed in my best dress and twirled before him. I was desperate to hear words of love and affirmation he never gave me. In my teen years, I tried to earn his attention by performing well and getting good grades. But no matter how well I performed, my dad didn’t stay. He didn’t love me. He didn’t approve of me.

This kind of hurt sinks deep into the longing heart of a girl.

It’s probably no surprise that I used the same approach with my heavenly Father. I thought I had to perform for His approval. For years, I did the religious dance of Bible study, ministry leadership, prayer, and service to gain God’s approval. Instead of doing these things because I was loved, I did them so that I’d be loved. It’s important to be mindful of this dynamic so we don’t link our food struggles to a similar kind of performance mentality.

Have you ever struggled with feeling like a “good Christian” when you exercised self-control and feeling like a “bad Christian” when you didn’t? We must chat about this. While we do want to gain spiritual perspectives while losing the weight, we must resist slipping into performance mode.

In the Gospels, God makes a powerful statement about Jesus: “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17).

I found new perspective in this passage when I realized that Jesus had not yet gone to the cross, performed miracles, or led the masses. His Father affirmed Jesus’ identity before Jesus started His public ministry. Jesus heard God, believed God, and remained filled.

In Christ, God has given us a new identity (Romans 6:4). But, unlike Christ, we tend to forget who we are and to fill our lives with endless activities to prove our worth and significance. We do this to earn love and approval from other people as well as from God. Our humanity makes us hungry people. It is similar to the phenomenon of being satisfied with a large dinner one evening only to wake up the next morning feeling famished. Truth comes in and fills us up, but we can’t expect one serving of truth to feed us for a lifetime. Our emotional cracks, crevices, and life circumstances are like drain holes that leak the truth and leave behind only hollowness.

Therefore, we must stand moment by moment in the truth of our identity before we resume our daily activities and even our healthy eating efforts. Grasp the truth and rub it in deep. Let it fill the drain holes that leach away your significance. Hear God say, “You are my daughter, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” Well pleased because of who you are, not what you do. Well pleased because of an unfathomable, unconditional love — a love not earned but simply given.

And isn’t it interesting that right after we read God’s affirmation of Jesus in Matthew 3, the very next chapter starts off with Jesus being tempted with food while fasting in the desert? But because Jesus was filled with truth, He didn’t engage the enemy. Remember? He deflected Satan’s lies by repeatedly quoting Scripture. He remained steady, believing who He was and whose He was. His identity was established before His ministry activities began.

When we know our identity before we jump into activity, we don’t have to guess how to handle the vicious lies of the enemy. We don’t need to displace God with inappropriate physical pleasure or material comforts. We don’t need to crave the acceptance of others. Because in God we are loved, accepted, and whole.

Oh, may this statement straight from God be inscribed, engraved, and tattooed in the most permanent of ways on our hearts: “Well pleased … well pleased … well pleased.”

God loves you, sweet sister. Rest in this reality today.