Being Seen by God

One of the first things people ask each other when they meet is, “What do you do?” Sometimes we offer the answer to that question without even being asked. We define who we are by what we do.

That God made man responsible for naming the animals is testimony to His desire that we be creative and productive (Genesis 2:20). The “dark side” of finding our identity in what we do is that we can get caught in a performance trap. We believe our value and worth as people is measured solely by what we achieve, what we acquire, or what we produce.

Doing naturally replaces being unless we fight against it.

It’s much easier to live according to checklists and rules than it is to peel back the veneer and be vulnerable. A life of rules, duty, and obligation is certainly efficient. But it’s lifeless. We lose touch with our true selves and with God. After a while, the Bible reads less like a love letter and more like a dusty history book. And our prayer becomes mechanical. As C.S. Lewis said, we seek the gift and not the Giver.

God loves you, even in the most mundane moments of life when you’re not striving to achieve anything. He wants a relationship with you based not on what you do, but on who you are and who you’re becoming.

We have answers for how to live in the awareness that God sees you and loves you on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Being Seen By God.” Listen to it on your local radio station, online, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or on our free phone app.

I believe our conversation will help you find your identity and your value – not in what you do – but in who you are in Christ.

Our guest is author Sara Hagerty, who has written the book Unseen: The Gift of Being Hidden in a World That Loves to Be Noticed. For a gift of any amount, we’ll send you a copy. And when you help Focus on the Family today with your gift, your donation will be for doubled for twice the impact in helping others through this ministry. Our thanks to generous donors who’ve made that possible. (Check our website for details.)