The Way Forward Through a Relationship with God
/The Struggle with Unworthiness
The Unashamed Unafraid podcast recently shared the powerful story of Nick and Anja, a couple who have navigated significant personal challenges. Their journey highlights the deep-seated struggle with feelings of unworthiness that many of us can relate to.
Like Nick, it’s easy to believe that past mistakes or current struggles make us unworthy of love. And like Anja, difficult feelings can stem from our perceptions of our physical attributes or limitations. These feelings of inadequacy can cloud our view of God and ourselves, leading us to believe that we are somehow not good enough.
God Sees Us Differently
Many, like Nick, grow up believing they must earn God’s love or prove their worthiness. Nick’s and Anja’s struggles illustrate how easily we fall into an exhausting cycle - always striving but never feeling enough - which can numb us and disconnect us from life and others. But God’s love isn’t based on performance. He isn’t waiting for us to fix ourselves before accepting us. He sees our failings and shortcomings and still reaches out with love and acceptance.
Entering a Relationship with God
God lovingly invites us into a relationship where we can rest in His unconditional love. Yet, misunderstandings about His nature, expectations, and our own worthiness often hold us back. We must see Him not as a distant, watchful judge, but as the very embodiment of boundless, patient love. Yes, He is just—but through a relationship with Him, He offers us mercy and grace instead of the judgment we deserve.
A relationship with God is not entered by performance—it’s entered by faith. It begins with recognizing that we are wretched creatures in need of help. At the same time, we lean into His unconditional love and power to give us the help we need. Finally, in humility, hope, and curiosity, we reach out to Him for acceptance, nurture, protection, and transformation. When we do, we find comfort, peace, and joy—not because we have finally proven ourselves, but because we allow ourselves to receive what was always available.
When Nick prayed, he felt what he described as a "big warm hug"—a moment of peace, comfort, and love that reassured him he was accepted. This is what God longs for all of us to feel. Once we shift from trying to earn God’s love to simply receiving it, everything changes. The pressure to prove something disappears, and instead, we are freed to rest in God’s embrace.
A Relationship with God Changes the Way We Show Up in Life
When God’s love becomes the foundation of our identity, it transforms:
How we see ourselves
How we navigate challenges
How we interact with others
Nick spent years trapped in shame—feeling unworthy and trying to compensate through effort. But when Warrior Heart bootcamp helped him step into his relationship with God, he began healing from a place of security rather than guilt. Freed from shame, he could finally move forward with hope.
For Anja, understanding God’s love helped her shift from feeling like a burden to knowing she was deeply loved just as she was. From that platform, she was able to support Nick—not from insecurity or codependency, but from compassion and strength. She could offer love freely, without feeling responsible for fixing him.
Relax with me into a relationship with God where He will ultimately change us, but where we’ll always be enough.
By Ty, Writing Team