John - Changing Your Self Image

Can you imagine what it would be like to know – deep in your heart – that you are accepted, delighted in, adored and have a purpose? 

What difference would that make to you? 

Picture waking each morning and being excited to live the day. Envision having an inner security about who you are. Visualize putting your head on the pillow and having a real, gut-level peace in your soul. It’s no overstatement to say that this truth revolutionizes lives. 

John and his brother James were fishermen at the Sea of Galilee. We’re pretty sure John thought of himself as a failure. In those days the best of the best became rabbis. It was something every Jewish mother wanted for her son. Those who didn’t make the cut had to find other employment – like catching fish.

Rabbi Jesus went to the Sea of Galilee and pointed to John and his brother James and said, ‘Follow me. Come and be part of my team.’ This very act was probably the greatest affirmation that John had ever had. 

James and John had a nickname: they were called ‘Sons of Thunder.’ This was not because they had digestive problems; it was almost certainly because they had bad tempers. On top of this, the gospels show us that John was selfishly ambitious, vengefully violent and excessively competitive.  

Why do people react to situations in life in ways that are out-of-proportion to what has happened?  

First, we’re hurting. There is a saying: ‘the most dangerous tiger is a wounded tiger.’ When a tiger is wounded is when it can cause the most destruction and damage. The same is true of people. There’s no more destructive human being than a hurt human being. Hurting people hurt people. 

Second, we have a fragile self-image. We are easily offended when our view of ourselves is delicate. Any perceived hurt or disrespect and our egos react like tender skin when it’s been punched – we are instantly bruised. 

Third, we’re prejudiced. Prejudice always stems from our own brokenness. It’s much easier to be tolerant, merciful and understanding of others when you are comfortable in who you are.  

To say ‘love changes us’ might seem simplistic, especially as we use the word ‘love’ to describe how we feel about music we like, clothes we wear and food we eat. But when we are talking about the love of Jesus we mean ‘love’ in a very particular way.

The great secret is that love – a very specific type of love – makes you real.

Another way of saying we become ‘Real’ might be to say we are ‘made whole’ or that we discover deep peace or inner security. No one simply grows these traits; they are developed in a very particular way. We are loved into life. 

This love is so transformative – it’s impossible to label yourself ‘ugly’, ‘fat’, ‘stupid’, ‘a failure’ when you have discovered it. You quite literally cannot be ugly (except to people who don’t understand).

Instead, you start to give yourself a new label. 

That label is Loved One. 

What was the key to John discovering a new, healthier and – crucially – more accurate identity? Nothing more and nothing less than receiving every day the unconditional love of Jesus.  

Becoming a Christian by saying yes to Jesus begins a lifelong journey. If we spend every day with Jesus as John did, if we worship him, listen and talk with him, go on adventures of faith with him, then the reality of Jesus’ love will begin to permeate us. He will never reject us, forsake us or stop loving us. Knowing this, we will wake each day a little different.