Nobody is a Nobody
She greeted me as I entered the cafeteria on Parents’ Day,
with a voice as warm and sweet as hot chocolate. Our eldest son, Clayton, was a
college freshman and this was the first time we’d been back to visit him. We’d
met faculty members, the dorm resident director and lots of his new friends.
So, when this woman greeted me, I politely asked, "Now, tell me who you
are?"
The woman hesitated. Her pause made me wonder if I had said
something wrong. Maybe she wasn’t accustomed to being asked this question. Maybe,
I thought, I should know who she is. I imagine she looked down and saw my
white cane and realized I was blind, and that might be why she answered in such
a kind tone: "Oh, Ma’am. I’m nobody. I just clean tables."
I reached toward her and found her hand. "You are not a
nobody! You are not just a table cleaner!" I told her. "My name is
Jennifer. What’s yours?" She laughed and told me her name.
As I said goodbye and walked with my son to our table, I thought
to myself, That woman is
not a nobody! Nobody is a nobody!
And it’s true, isn’t it? Nobody is a nobody, and nobody is just a table cleaner.
Or, just a
mom. Or, just
a clerk. Or, just
a housekeeper. Or, just
a teacher. Or, just
an … anything! But we often find ourselves in places or seasons of life where
we feel like a nobody. It can be hard to see our own value if we feel
constantly overlooked, or when we associate our value with our virtue. You
know, if we are good, we are worthy of being acknowledged. If we behave, we
merit attention.
There was a woman who lived back in the 8th century B.C. who
probably felt like a nobody. Her name was Gomer. I bet if someone asked,
"Who are you?" She’d probably shrug and say, "Oh, I’m
nobody." Or, she might say, "I’m a mess. I’ve got a past I’m ashamed
of. I was a prostitute. I’m nobody."
But her answer should be, "I am not a nobody, I am Gomer. I
am loved and accepted and, yes, I am prone to wander."
Gomer had been a prostitute, but she became a prophet’s wife.
Her identity changed when she said "I do" to Hosea. When you declared
"I do" to Jesus, you received a new identity, too.
You became God’s somebody! When you are in Christ, you are a new
creation!
You are not your current failures or your past mistakes. You are
not your successes or your virtues. You are not what you do, what you did, what
you haven’t done, what you should have done or what you wish you’d done. You
are not what you have gone through. You are not what someone else has said
about you. You are not a nobody! You
are a chosen, loved woman whom God calls His beloved.
His beloved … that is who God sees when He looks at you. Can you
begin to accept the you God sees?
Just like Gomer, you are a somebody — a loved, significant
somebody. God chose you even when you felt like a nobody. He loved you while
you were still a sinner (Romans 5:8). God didn’t choose to love you because you
were some spectacular somebody. He didn’t choose to love you because you were
already lovely. He loved you and, then,
you became lovely. Your value comes from His inherent value.
You’re already loved, so you just need to embrace how God sees
you. Yet, how do you do this … especially on those days when you feel like a
nobody?
Here’s one sentence — just one little sentence — packed with big
truth to help you when ou feel like a nobody. Write it down, memorize it and
repeat it to yourself: How
I feel is not who I am.
Now, say it to yourself out loud! How I feel is not who I am! Good job! Say
it over and over. How I
feel is not who I am!
From one somebody to another, let's remember the truth that we are not how we feel! We are God's somebodies!
Reprinted with permission by Proverbs 31 ministries.
From one somebody to another, let's remember the truth that we are not how we feel! We are God's somebodies!
Reprinted with permission by Proverbs 31 ministries.
