It seems to me that in the spiritual life worthiness is not so much the issue; the issue is more about trust and surrender. What Jesus does not demand are great actions from us, but Jesus does demand surrender and trust and gratitude. Our actions always follow trust and surrender, thanks be to God! The key is to be honest and clear with ourselves once and for all: We are not worthy! None of us is worthy. There is no space in our life for worthiness. When we get in our heads that we are worthy we are simply playing a game of denial and pretend. The unequivocal fact of the matter is this: We’re all saved by the grace of God, God giving us what we need not what we deserve. We are all loved by God despite of ourselves. It is God who makes us worthy, and this God-given worthiness has nothing to do with us, and everything to do with the love and the goodness of God.
What we have to do is begin by embracing our imperfections, and that is where we will discover the great gifts of courage, compassion, and connection. When we can let go of what other people think about us and embrace own our story of life, we then find our God-given worthiness — the feeling that God and God alone has made us worthy of love and belonging. When we spend a lifetime trying to distance ourselves from the parts of our lives that don’t fit with who we think we’re supposed to be, we stand outside of our story and hustle for our worthiness by constantly performing, perfecting, pleasing, and proving.
In the end, our imperfections are not our inadequacies; they are reminders that we’re all in this together. Imperfectly, but together. That gives me hope.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me a sinner.
From the Bible:
“The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him” Psalm 28:7.
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” Joshua 1:9.
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” Jeremiah 29:11.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths” Proverbs 3:5-6.
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