The Search for Significance

28 The Search For Significancecaused us to feel condemned and unworthy oflove. Our opinion of ourselves, as well as ourmethod of evaluating others, comes from a mindlimited by a veil of sin (II Corinthians 3:14).Therefore, our evaluation of ourselves will inevitablylead to despair.In spite of Adam and Eve's sin, God's plan wasto bring man back to the destiny for which he hadbeen originally created — to bear His image. Toaccomplish this, God gives a new nature to allwho will believe in Christ. This new nature is ableto reflect God's character and rule His creation. InLuke 10:19 Jesus spoke of the authority of thisnew nature when He said,"Behold, I have given you authority totread upon serpents and scorpions andover all the power of the enemy, andnothing shall injure you. nHowever, Satan continues to deceive people, includingmany Christians, to believe that the basisof their worth is their performance and their abilityto please others. This equation reflects Satan'slie:SELF-WORTH * PERFORMANCE + OTHERS' OPINIONSCan we overcome Satan's deception and rejectthis basis of our self-worth? Can we trust God'scomplete acceptance of us as His sons and daughtersand allow Him to free us from this dependencyon success and others' approval? RejectingSatan's lie and accepting God's evaluation of usleads to a renewed hope, joy, and purpose in life.We all have compelling needs for love, acceptance,and purpose, and we will go to virtuallyany lengths to have those needs met. Many of ushave become masters at "playing the game" to besuccessful and win the approval of others. Others,

The Saving Solution vs. Satan's Snare 29however, have failed often enough and experiencedthe pain of disapproval often enough thatthey have given up, withdrawing into a shell ofhurt, numbness, or depression. Both kinds of peoplelive by the deception that their worth is basedon their performance and others' opinions — someof us are simply more adept than others at playingthat game.Our attempts to meet our needs for success andapproval fall into two broad categories: compulsivenessand withdrawal. Some people put out extraeffort, work extra hours, and try to say justthe right thing so they will be successful andplease those around them. These people may havea compelling desire to be in control of every situation.They are perfectionists. If a job isn't done toperfection, if they aren't dressed just right, ifthey aren't considered "the best" by their peers,then they work harder until they achieve thatcoveted status. And woe to the poor soul who getsin the way! Whoever doesn't contribute to theirsuccess and acclaim is a threat to their self-esteem— an unacceptable threat. They may be very personableand have a lot of "friends," but the goal ofthese relationships may not be to give encouragementand love, it may be to manipulate others tocontribute to their success. That may sound harsh,but people who are driven to succeed use practicallyeverything and everybody to meet that need.The other broad category is withdrawal. Thesepeople try to avoid failure and disapproval byavoiding risks. They don't volunteer for the jobsthat have much risk of failure. They gravitate towardpeople who are comforting and kind, avoidingrelationships that might demand vulnerability,and consequently the pain of rejection. They mayappear to be easy-going, but inside they are runningfrom every potential situation or relationshipthat might not succeed.