“Behold, you are fair, my love! …” Song of Solomon 1:15
When a person has gone through a soul injury, they are often aware of their pain and impaired heart condition. If a person feels damaged, lost, failed, rejected, abandoned, or the like, it can warp their self-image of who God created him or her to be. Instead of being realizing the beautiful and valuable person that he or she is, that person might see himself or herself as insignificant, unwanted, unworthy, disgraced, used, marred, or blemished. He or she may see themselves as incomplete rather than whole and healthy in Christ.
If someone has a misconstrued idea of the person he or she actually is, it will be reflected in his or her behavior. For example, instead of realizing that their actions could have impact or influence, he or she is might be deceived to think that what they do is inconsequential. If a person feels unwanted, he or she could become desperate for approval. If a person feels unworthy, he or she could lose their ambition to reach their full potential.
We have a spiritual enemy, Satan, who is at work in the world around us. His goal is not just to wound God’s children, but it is also to dim the light of representatives of Christ from shining the Gospel brightly to those who are in darkness. The results of a distorted self-image can cause a person to be vulnerable to misuse or abuse, cause punishing consequences for themselves or others, withdrawal from influence, fail to achieve purpose or reach potential, be misaligned from receiving God’s blessings, and to waste their life from being effective in the kingdom of God.
However, if we are restored from our pain and injury, we can see ourselves the way God intended. God reveals our true value, so we receive the confidence to make a difference. God shows us that we are wanted and loved, so that we will be able to trust Him and reach out to others.
You are irreplaceable to God. He created you on purpose and for a purpose. He calls you by name and He says, “You are mine.” When you were hurt by others or by your own choices, God came to rescue you. When you ran away, He waited for your return. When you returned, He came running to meet you. When you needed redemption, He weighed the cost, and He considered you worth dying for. He calls you “Beautiful.”
Application: Do you know someone who has been marred or worn? That person is valuable. See their beauty and show them they are significant to you and to their Father. God wants us to represent His love well.