See Yourself Through God’s Lens

One of the concepts we discuss in our You are Created for Good Works workbook is loving yourself correctly. But what does this mean and what exactly does that have to do with your job transition? Everything, actually. Going through a job transition can be one of the most challenging seasons in one’s life. During that time, it is easy to not feel so loving towards yourself. You may be experiencing anger, resentment, fear, hurt, sadness and a whole host of other emotions. A lot of people may not feel great about themselves during a time like that. And for some people they may feel downright miserable about themselves. But if we could just see ourselves through the lens that God sees us through, perhaps we would feel differently about ourselves. One of the most important verses in the bible says “We love because God first loved us” 1 John 4:19.

God created us as a masterpiece. So how can we begin to see ourselves as the unique masterpiece that God sees us as? It starts with loving yourself correctly. Let’s look at several ways we can do this especially during a job transition.

Self Compassion

Going through a job transition is a hard, difficult thing to go through. I say this from firsthand experience. But what if we were kinder to ourselves during this time? How would it feel if we showed ourselves the same compassion and grace God shows us? If you are unhappy with something you’ve done that’s lead you to where you are, think about what you could do differently. Rather than dwell on your past mistakes or choices, focus on what you’ll do moving forward. Show yourself some love by being understanding with yourself and practicing positive self-talk.

Rewrite the Script

What story are you filling your thoughts with about yourself? Do you believe the negative self-talk? Is that how God would talk to us? What story would God tell about us? Simply changing the script we have playing in our head is such a powerful tool. One way to do this is to try turning every negative statement into a positive statement. So instead of saying “I got laid off from my job because the company thinks I’m a failure and doesn’t value my skills”. What if we turned it around and said “Although it was a big disappointment to be laid off, I trust God and the plan he has for me. I have a lot to offer and I know God will guide me to a better opportunity where my skills are valued.”

Another one we hear a lot from job seekers is “I’ve sent out tons of resumes, but no one is interested in me”. Another possibility is to say to yourself, “I’ve been working really hard at this job search, and I know the right door will open at the right time for me. Each resume I send out is just a stepping stone to the right place”.

Acceptance

Do you ever beat yourself up for the situation you are in? Do you feel like a failure? How would it feel if you loved yourself more by accepting yourself for the person you are? Make a list of your positive traits, put them on paper, and take a really good look at that list. Does that look like a failure? God created you uniquely and loves you just the way you are. And he wants you to love and accept yourself for who you are.

One of my favorite verses is Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

That’s how God thinks about us. Let us follow that example and think about the truth and what is lovely and admirable and praiseworthy about ourselves.

God has taught us how to love ourselves correctly by the love, compassion and acceptance he has for us. He has set the perfect example of love. He wants us to trust him and lean into him for strength. He will carry us through.

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Elise Hartmann is the Operations Manager at Crossroads Career. She has extensive experience working in business development, sales, account management, customer service and training and development. She has worked in the tourism, hospitality, retail, technology, education and media industries.