Worthy | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: Worthy | Previous Challenge Entry
By Rick Gregory
05/06/25
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At first, I thought it was a lie.

But after hearing it so often in words, tone, and behavior, I began to believe it: that I was worthless. That I'd never amount to anything. And so, "worthless" became the identity I lived into.

Worth- being worthy was the dream I chased.

I think that's why I was always trying to prove him wrong. To show that I WAS worth something. That my life mattered. That my choices meant something.

They say girls who don't receive a father's love often go looking for it in all the wrong places. But guys do the same thing- we just disguise it better.

I longed for my dad to say he loved me. That he was proud of me. So I set off chasing his approval, hoping one day I'd catch it. But his approval and love always seemed just out of reach.

First, I chased income. I reached the goal I’d set. Check. Still empty.

His expression said, "You could've done better."

Next, I pursued physical fitness, reaching a level I'd never hit before. Check. Still empty.
I got a nod, maybe a raised eyebrow. But not what I was chasing.

Then I gave generously. I served the poor. I sacrificed. Surely that would move the needle. Check. Still not enough.
He called it a waste of my life.

Finally, I went back to school and finished my bachelor's and MBA- both in my 50s. Check. Nada.
By then, he was old, unable to engage, and didn't seem to care much.

It took me nearly 40 years to realize I was chasing approval from a father who didn't know how to give it. He loved me, yes- but he didn't know how to show it.

Thankfully, my chase is over.

I've found my true Father-One who loves me fully, intentionally, even recklessly, and without condition. A Father who has invited me into an adventure filled with purpose, fulfillment, and yes, even some hardship along the way.

Scripture says, "He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By His wounds you are healed" (1 Peter 2:24 NLT).

I don't have to earn His approval. It was never a race. Never a test.
He already gave it.
He gave His life for mine.

He declared me worthy, not just with words, but through self-sacrificing action.

He gave me a new name, written in His Book of Life.

He reminded me through Psalm 139 that He knew me before I ever took shape in my mother's womb. He laid out every word on every page of my story before I ever came to be.

Now, He declares me His own: His child. His son. His heir.

Paul writes, "Since we are His children, we are His heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory. But if we are to share His glory, we must also share His suffering." (Romans 8:17 NLT)

Here's the bottom line:
I spent four decades chasing an illusion I already possessed.
I was fighting for an answer that had already been spoken.
I kept asking a question my Heavenly Father had already answered-with nail-pierced hands and an empty tomb.

I sought to be worthy in the eyes of a man who was unable to give what I most needed. But all the while, God was showing me that I didn't have to prove anything. That in Christ, I am already enough.

Already loved. Already chosen. Already secure.

I am convinced- and now I know:

"Nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow-not even the powers of hell... nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38–39 NLT)

Father, thank You that I don't have to chase what You've already given- unconditional, unwavering love. Help me to walk in the freedom of knowing that You call me worthy, not because of what I do, but because of Who You are. Amen.

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