Keeping Up With The Kardashians

deur Maxie Kamalski In society today it often feels like you need to do life perfectly right. Especially as women, there seems to be this unspoken pressure to prove yourself as worthy, to prove that you can do it all. We NEED to have a career, have a perfect home, be the best wife, mother and friend, and of course look fabulous while you’re doing it all. We work so hard to keep up with the latest trends and of course keep the world informed of our awesomeness on social media. Why do we do this? I think that it’s our own ego’s drive for a sense of approval and the need for someone outside of ourselves to affirm that we are worthy. It’s a habit that we often adopt towards God as well. Culture has taught us that earning approval is what gives you value. Paul has a fascinating take on this in Galatians 2:19-21 (MSG): “What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn’t work. So I quit being a ‘law man’ so that I could be God’s man. Christ’s life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God.” Jesus loves us. Just as we are. Without all our attempts at being good and proving we are worth something to Him. I started to re-learn this when I became a mom. My little girl has become my greatest teacher when it comes to understanding this kind of love. I love it when she laughs and is playfully cute, but my love doesn't change once she starts being fussy or when she is teething. I love her not for all the good things she does but because she is my daughter. And she doesn't care if I get everything done on my to do list, or that I can show the world I can do everything; she cares about spending time together and playing peek-a-boo. Loving my daughter, and being loved by her, breaks down my drive to protect and build my own ego. It’s time to unlearn what the world (and our own ego’s) teach us about what it means to love and be loved, about what it means to be valued. We are loved just because of who we are, not because of what we have done and surely not because we somehow impressed God with something we accomplished. Following Jesus is about selflessly loving Him above all other things, and being loved by Him. May you love Jesus with everything in you, and be loved by him. And remember that this is what life is truly about.

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