The Source of Our Validation
I wrote last week about our longing to be known in the context of the Christian community. I think it is a valid desire and one that we believers should seek to meet for each other. However, there can be a negative aspect to that longing. When this longing is rooted in our own need for validation from others, then we are entering dangerous and unhealthy territory.
As C.S. Lewis once wrote, our sense of longing for something beyond us is evidence that there is something beyond us. We all have a deep longing for God that is a part of our DNA. Many won’t recognize it as such, but it is there all the same. We long to be declared worthy and desire validation of our lives.
For most, this seeking is evidenced by a drive to succeed or to be viewed as successful. In our culture, success is equated with value. People are driven to be successful at their careers and whatever else they do in their lives. It gives them a sense of worth. Some will even go so far as dishonestly proclaiming success when, in fact, things are failing. The need for validation is so great.
The danger is not the need to be validated; that I believe is God-given. It is, however, when one needs the validation of others more than the validation of the Lord. This is what leads to arguments over who is the greatest, or jockeying for leadership positions, or always airing our opinions on matters both small and large. We want attention because, at the heart of things, we are insecure and feel a need to prove ourselves.
Yet, our value is inherent in the fact that we are each created by God. There is no greater proof of our validity than that. The great challenge for us is to live in that fact daily and not to be deceived by the devil that our value is based on the opinions of others.
I have been continually struggling with this during the past year as I have sought to get UpStream Ministries going. Mine is a small ministry and often I feel I live in obscurity. It is easy to get discouraged, particularly when some people question whether you have any chance of success. Yet, in my times with the Lord, he reminds me that he sees me and values me, that he is for me and not against me. I am understanding more and more that my validity as a person comes from the One who created me. Thus, I can be secure in that and not over and over try to prove to others how great I am or how knowledgeable, or how successful. I can be content that he knows me and loves me while seeking to do his will.
We are a culture that craves attention. We can easily become discontent when we don’t get enough. Yet, the Lord wants us to live in contentment. That begins with recognizing that our validation is in God, our Creator. It is the place to begin and end each day.
© Jim Musser 2023 All Scripture references are from the New International Version, 2011.
