One of the deepest struggles teenagers encounter is believing they are loved, not based on performance, looks, or status, but that they are deeply and securely loved by God Himself. Day Forty-Six of the new fifty-day devotional I wrote with my daughter speaks to that longing.
50 Days to Embracing (and Enjoying) Who God Says You Are is out now, and our prayer is that teenagers will learn to anchor their identity in how God defines them—not in how the world defines them. For more information on the devo, click here.
Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. (Colossians 3:12)
From Eric:
We live in a world that loves us based on how we look or what we do, not based on who we are. Think about how the world works: Play really well on the team, win a championship, and then we will love you as a hero. Make great grades, participate in lots of extracurricular activities, and then we would love to have you attend our university. Look and act a certain way, and then we would love to have you in our friend group.
The list could go on and on.
The reason we have a difficult time believing that God loves us just because He is love is that His love is so different from the world’s. It also can bother us a bit if we’re honest because we like to think we have done something to earn His love. But notice the order of the passage above and how different God’s love towards you is. Fill in the blanks below:
Since God chose you to be ___ _____ _________ ___ ___________, you must…
If God loved you the way the world does, the verse would read like this: “Clothe yourselves with mercy, kindness, and humility, and then God will love you.” Do you see how different God’s love is? God wants you to obey Him, not so that He will love you, but because He already does.
Because He loves you, you must live like He does, and that means it’s time to wear some new clothes. Not clothes you get at the mall, but clothes that really make you stand out, that last, and make an impact on others. These are the clothes of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. You have to decide to wear those each day, to put them on. It’s not always easy because putting these things on means going against the current rhythm of this world. But you are able to clothe yourself with mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience because you have received the otherworldly love of God, and His love motivates you and keeps changing you!
From Eden:
Earning someone’s love is something we see on every social media platform and throughout daily life. I can think of so many movies where the girl feels like she has to change herself to be liked. I think of that kid who feels that he needs to change to be loved by his parents. Or maybe we think, I will only be popular and liked if I’m a better athlete. The list goes on and on. It’s so easy to believe this is true because of what the world tells us.
God’s attitude toward us could not be more different! This verse says that God chose me. He chose me because He loves me. He didn’t choose me because I’m a great athlete or because I’m pretty. He loves me because He loves me. The world can beat us up as teens. It is honestly really hard to even believe someone could love and choose me just because they love me. It’s also a daily battle to remember this and respond to situations with this in mind.
Sometimes I just don’t want to be kind and gentle to someone who has hurt me. But God is kind and gentle, and He invites me to be the same way. My parents often remind my sister and me of this. When we struggle to respond in a Christlike way, it’s because we have forgotten what He has done for us. This is true! If I struggle to show mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, it’s because I have forgotten how freely God shows these to me daily. These are not my natural responses in my own skin. But because of the Holy Spirit, I can put on my new clothes!
