And
God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the
children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. (Exodus 3:14 KJV)
Recently
came across a statistic that astounded me: the average person touches his face
between one and two thousand times a day. This was a statement to raise
awareness about the spread of disease germs.
I am seeing that our need to touch our own faces stems from a sense of tremendous insecurity and the need for validation. We need to somehow assure ourselves that many times a day that we still exist, that we really are.
We look for validation from others. The person who touches his own face a thousand times a day without realizing it surely acts out that many times in so many other ways in order to remind the world around us that he exists. I am still here. I am. I am. I am.
I clear my throat. Ahem (I am)! I laugh at a joke that is not funny. I am still here. I tell a joke that is not funny. I am here. Hear me. Laugh at me. Look at me.
Having lost the sensitivity of a child's heart, we so often engage in aberrant behavior to stir ourselves to feel, to know we exist. We sin to make a statement that we exist as sovereign. We curse each other and put each other down to exalt ourselves. We like to feel the power and imagine that we can even grant ourselves eternal life, because we dislike that we are still so empty and unvalidated after all our attempts to prove ourselves.
In the Bible God reveals Himself to Moses as "I AM THAT I AM." This can also be translated "I EXIST BECAUSE I EXIST."
While we are looking and looking to ourselves and others for validation, we can never come to a sense of peace and security. Only God is truly able to validate Himself in this way.
He is not looking for affirmation. He is just stating a fact in order that we would know something important about Him, so we can position ourselves in relation to Him.
Since He is I AM and He did create us in His image, all of us have the right to make the statement "I AM." No other creature can make such a statement. But we cannot say "I AM BECAUSE I AM" with authority. Only God can say that.
Rather, we must draw our sense of value and security as existent beings from having been begotten of God. We say, "I AM BECAUSE HE IS" and find great comfort and rest there.
As we learn to draw our affirmation from Him alone, then we are free to focus on the others around us rather than require the attention of others. We can love those who are desperate for affirmation because they have not yet understood how loved they are by the One Who is Author of all, preexistent, all-knowing and all-powerful, Who states, "I have loved YOU from all eternity past, (YOU are the fulfillment of My dream) and I long to lavish My love and grace upon YOU for ages to come." (see Jeremiah 31:3; Ephesians 1:3-6)
I am seeing that our need to touch our own faces stems from a sense of tremendous insecurity and the need for validation. We need to somehow assure ourselves that many times a day that we still exist, that we really are.
We look for validation from others. The person who touches his own face a thousand times a day without realizing it surely acts out that many times in so many other ways in order to remind the world around us that he exists. I am still here. I am. I am. I am.
I clear my throat. Ahem (I am)! I laugh at a joke that is not funny. I am still here. I tell a joke that is not funny. I am here. Hear me. Laugh at me. Look at me.
Having lost the sensitivity of a child's heart, we so often engage in aberrant behavior to stir ourselves to feel, to know we exist. We sin to make a statement that we exist as sovereign. We curse each other and put each other down to exalt ourselves. We like to feel the power and imagine that we can even grant ourselves eternal life, because we dislike that we are still so empty and unvalidated after all our attempts to prove ourselves.
In the Bible God reveals Himself to Moses as "I AM THAT I AM." This can also be translated "I EXIST BECAUSE I EXIST."
While we are looking and looking to ourselves and others for validation, we can never come to a sense of peace and security. Only God is truly able to validate Himself in this way.
He is not looking for affirmation. He is just stating a fact in order that we would know something important about Him, so we can position ourselves in relation to Him.
Since He is I AM and He did create us in His image, all of us have the right to make the statement "I AM." No other creature can make such a statement. But we cannot say "I AM BECAUSE I AM" with authority. Only God can say that.
Rather, we must draw our sense of value and security as existent beings from having been begotten of God. We say, "I AM BECAUSE HE IS" and find great comfort and rest there.
As we learn to draw our affirmation from Him alone, then we are free to focus on the others around us rather than require the attention of others. We can love those who are desperate for affirmation because they have not yet understood how loved they are by the One Who is Author of all, preexistent, all-knowing and all-powerful, Who states, "I have loved YOU from all eternity past, (YOU are the fulfillment of My dream) and I long to lavish My love and grace upon YOU for ages to come." (see Jeremiah 31:3; Ephesians 1:3-6)
