"All my life I have been called unworthy..." Oh my goodness, can I just be real with y'all? This so describes me! Not that this describes who I was or used to be a long time ago but this often describes me on any given day! Well, actually until I heard Big Daddy Weaver's song, Redeemed, two weeks ago it was my daily mantra.

With that kind of daily mantra, I would do some crazy things to earn my worth. Before Christ it included lots of immoral stuff, trying to feel worthy. Then after Christ, despite knowledge of the Word and great counseling, I would often believe I was unworthy and so then I had to earn my worthiness. Work harder, faster. Produce more. Please everyone around you. Manipulate here. Exaggerate there. Anything to silence that voice...

Then a friend who knows me so well, sent me Redeemed (now that is a true friend!) And when I heard this line in the middle of the song, the lightbulb - no, it was a flood light - went off. Here is the entire line:

"All my life I have been called unworthy...named by the voice of my shame and regret."

It wasn't a parent or a teacher or a coach or a friend who had called me unworthy but it came from the voice of my shame and regret!! I could silence the voice not by performing better or pleasing more people. I could silence the voice by walking in the fact that I am redeemed and that my shame was paid for on the cross and my regrets can be released to Him who cares for me.

Is the voice always silent? No...I am still living in a fallen world and in a body of flesh that is so prone to sin. However, when the voice calls out, "Unworthy! Unworthy!" I can respond, "Redeemed!! Redeemed!!" and the voice goes silent.

How about you? What's your daily mantra? Do you hear the voice? Can you cry out, "Redeemed!"?