Ewald Schmidt

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”  Romans 8:37 (NIV)

“Who am I?” That is the one question we strive to answer all the days of our lives. The answer is not that simple. From our youngest years we are gathering information from the words and deeds of the people around us. The words and deeds of people the closest to us carry the most weight. Our parents and siblings can help us develop a healthy self-esteem with their encouraging words and helpful deeds. But on the other hand, their negative words and hurtful deeds can cause the most emotional damage. On top of that, we all had to survive our school years. It was a very competitive environment – we measured ourselves against our peers – am I clever enough, strong enough, pretty enough to be acceptable? Some endured scorn and bullying when they were not deemed up to standard, and carry the emotional wounds for a long time afterwards. Words and deeds have left us feeling like losers. Not good enough …

The rest of our adult lives we spend completing the picture of life’s puzzle. Who am I? Every encounter with words and deeds leads to the assumption that it is another piece of the picture. Inner dialogue contributes to this. How do I see myself? How do I talk to myself? What do I tell myself when I make a mistake, or just can’t get something right?

The believers in 1st century Rome had experienced such difficult times. They described it as being treated like sheep to the slaughter. They lived in daily fear, and faced possible persecution of the worst kind, just because they believed that Jesus was Lord. They would have heard scornful words, and experienced humiliating actions from their communities. How would they have thought about themselves in such humiliating times?

In those times, they would be encouraged by this Word of God. The most important opinion of who we are, belongs to God. He loves his children very much. He loves us so much that Christ died for us. So when the world sees the public humiliation of Christ’s followers, God does not see us as losers. We are more than conquerors through the love of Christ! “In all these things,” that we experience daily our worth is determined by God, not by public opinion. This is a solid foundation to build a self-image on. I am a new creation in Christ. Through his love transforming my life, I am more than a conqueror!

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your love. Thank you that I am more than a conqueror through your transforming love. Help me to remember that when life gets difficult to manage. Help me to treasure your opinion of me above the hurtful words and deeds of man. Amen.