Chaplain's Corner: Life experiences can damage us

Chaplain's Corner by Colin Johnson, Neighbourhood Chaplain, Hockliffe Street Baptist Church

“The more of heaven there is in our lives, the less of earth we shall covet.”— C.H. Spurgeon.

Life experiences can damage us, such as being treated as second best. I remember at school, when other boys were chosen for the football team, and I was left out. And at work, when a colleague got the promotion instead of me. Feeling second best can leave a part of us believing we are not good enough. 

It can happen at work, in families and in couples. How about you? Many of us have at some point felt passed over, not good enough, or shamed in some way.  

There was a time before I was a Christian when I thought my value came purely from what others thought; life was fickle and a game of chance. I no longer think this way because I now understand how God sees me. God is not an angry and demanding God. A story from the life of David in the Bible demonstrates how God sees you and me very differently from the way the world does.

David, as a young man, was dismissed as insignificant, passed over in preference to his seven older brothers. When Samuel, an important prophet, arrived at his father’s home to find out who God wanted to be king of Israel, David was left out in the fields to tend the sheep. Though overlooked by his family, David was chosen by God, proving our worth in God’s sight is not based on human ranking systems.

The Bible says God said this to Samuel: “Pay no attention to how tall and handsome he is. I have rejected him, because I do not judge as people judge. They look at the outward appearance, but I look at the heart”(1 Samuel 16:7). This amazing love is fully demonstrated when God sent Jesus to give to exchange his life for you and me on the cross.

Every day, people find value in God and feel better about themselves; will you?