Before we moved, the youth group that our kiddos were attending held a talent show and awards night. They got to dress up, walk the red carpet, and showed off their skills on stage. Some played musical instruments, some sang, but our son did a bit of a comedy skit. It was what I consider a roast of kindness. He did Chuck Norris jokes, but he changed the Chuck Norris part to the youth pastor’s name.
When God said Let there be light, Chuck Norris said Say please. You get the idea. It was one leading straight into the next, each one pulling laughter from the audience. I’m not sure which I was more impressed by: my son (11yo) getting up on stage in front of more than 50 people and being cool as a cucumber, or the smooth delivery of a well-rehearsed comedy skit.
At the end of the night, our son gave the youth pastor the print-out of his jokes that he had used for reference, and the youth pastor told him that if he was ever having a bad day, all he had to do was look at that piece of paper. Anyone else feel in need of a self-esteem boost? We need someone to step up on the stage and tell the world all of the ways we’re so very loved, appreciated, and valued. We’re seen.
Maybe you make dinner that either goes uneaten or unappreciated. Maybe, like me, you have a three-year-old who, no matter what you put in front of her, says that she doesn’t like it. Sure, I know it’s a three-year-old… but over time it can wear a person’s self-esteem down. Maybe you work alone and there’s no one around to express how impressed they are with your skills in your chosen trade.
You might start to feel invisible. You might even feel as though you’re not valued and not needed.
Well, folks, God didn’t just step up on the stage, but He left us with more than a few pages to help us navigate the darker days.
You’ve probably guessed it – the Bible! Sure, it may seem a bit cliche, but it’s a story, from beginning to end, of His love for us. But it’s not just a lovey-dovey dialogue of how fantastic we are in His eyes. It’s love in action. He didn’t just write out a beautiful, thrilling story and give us the papers. He took the stage and showed us what love looks like.
Behold, My Servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted. Just as many were appalled at you, My people, so His appearance was marred beyond that of a man, and His form beyond the sons of mankind. So He will sprinkle many nations, kings will shut their mouths on account of Him; for what they had not been told, they will see, and what they had not heard, they will understand. Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground; He has no stately form or majesty that we would look at Him, nor an appearance that we would take pleasure in Him. He was despised and abandoned by men, a man of great pain and familiar with sickness; and like one from whom people hide their faces, He was despised, and we had no regard for Him. However, it was our sicknesses that He Himself bore, and our pains that He carried; yet we ourselves assumed that He had been afflicted, struck down by God, and humiliated. But He was pierced for our offenses, He was crushed for our wrongdoings; the punishment for our well-being was laid upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed. All of us, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the wrongdoing of us all to fall on Him. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth.
By oppression and judgment He was taken away; and as for His generation, who considered that He was cut off from the land of the living for the wrongdoing of my people, to whom the blow was due? And His grave was assigned with wicked men, yet He was with a rich man in His death, because He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth. But the Lord desired to crush Him, causing Him grief; if He renders Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand. As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; by His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, for He will bear their wrongdoings. Isaiah 52:13-15-53:1-11 NASB
I’m aware of the mouthful of scripture, but I wanted to make sure you had a clear view of the stage. More often than not, if there’s any kind of self-esteem issue – if you’re ever questioning your value – mostly we’re directed to read Psalm 139. Not a bad passage at all to use as a boost. But Love isn’t just about feelings and how well someone is known. It’s about the actions that push those words into reality.
He was pierced for what we had done wrong… He was crushed because of our failures… He was accused and He didn’t defend Himself… He just took it all and He took it on the stage for all to see.
I’m purposefully allowing my wordcount to be eaten up by scripture. It is far more important for you to read those words than anything I might have to say. Many of our issues would be solved if we spent more time reading our Bibles than scrolling our phones. Even the things that are good for us – activities, work, church obligations – those things can become a burden and distraction if we allow them to take attention away from our relationship with our Creator.
If you’re questioning your value? Read the Bible. Remember the stage. Are you finding that your stress levels are maxed out? Read the Bible. Remember the stage. Problems in your marriage? Problems with your kiddos? Problems at work or in school? Read the Bible. Remember the stage. It’s not about a time limit, a reading plan, or checking a box.
One of the reasons our son did such a great job with his roast of kindness was because he made it a point to connect with his audience. He started out by asking, Who here loves our youth pastor? I bet these little-known facts about him will make you love him even more… He put a spotlight on the shared love they had for their youth pastor.
And on that stage more than 2,000 years ago, God put a spotlight on His extreme love for His creation – and the great lengths He would go to redeem us.
If you’re looking for a way to improve your life, read your Bible and remember the stage.