Press On: Jesus is Better
Written by Sarah de Orlando
Hillsboro, New Hampshire: a little blimp on the map except for the birthplace of our fourteenth president. (Bonus points for those who knew it was Franklin Pierce.) My childhood home is in this tiny New England town where I am sitting today surrounded by pine trees. I only return by plane once a year to visit my family, and I already sense God had some deeper healing as I write this piece. You see, old memories lurk like shadows reminding me of a lonely, hurting teenage Sarah searching to belong and to feel loved in many broken ways.
But Jesus knows my sensitive heart and vivid memories. He isn’t ashamed of my sin or striving to earn my worth. Today, I am reminded afresh of the grace of Jesus and to release false beliefs I was too broken for him. As Paul describes in Philippians 3, he was the Hebrew of Hebrews, the best law-abider, but he considered all those gains to be “a loss for the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus” (Philippians 3:8 NIV). I, too, feel that joy in my heart for Jesus’ pursuit of me. Jesus is better than our greatest accomplishment and our most shameful sin.
For he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
Psalm 103:14 NIV
Jesus came so I “may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). For the first 27 years of my life, I had allowed my feelings and other people to influence my identity and calling. I longed for a fulfilling life, but it kept falling flat without inviting God’s power to work through me. Playing whack-a-mole with circumstances held me captive. This is the last “mole,” then I can have joy. Ok, one more trial, and then I can have peace. It was futile.
But Jesus wanted me to invite him into my daily battles and let him rewrite my old narrative. He challenged me to rejoice in trials, “know the power of his resurrection and participate in his sufferings” (Philippians 3:10 NIV) because he was still with me, loving me, strengthening me, and sanctifying me. I am not meant to fix myself. Instead, I am meant to rest in his power and delight in him. The more time I spend with him, the more I get to shine his love and light for others and give him space to work in my heart.
I can now reflect as I’ve sought healing with his Holy Spirit, counseling, and supportive relationships. I see the truth of my story and the truth of God and be free of shame. Like Paul, I constantly want to be “forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14 NIV). How can I do it? Reminding myself of his truth, love, and forgiveness, then releasing the old memories into his care. God has moved mountains in my life – like miraculous healing from depression, sending me to work in Poland, and calling me to leave engineering to pursue writing his story. So today, I am humbled to say I am not where I was many years ago, and I have the clarity and courage to press into Jesus and say yes to his love and plan for me.
I want to get my hopes up in the God of miracles every day! This has become one of my favorite verses to declare over my life, especially when I am discouraged:
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 NIV
I claim it for myself now. I claim it for you! God is still working; his Spirit is alive and active. So, like Paul, let’s press on: Jesus is better. God has a beautiful calling for you. Soak in his grace and the hope you have in Jesus for today and eternity.
CALL TO ACTION:
Where have you been trying to earn your worth from God?
Meditate on Philippians 3:13-14. What is Jesus calling you to forget, and how to press forward?
