LIVING STONES, APPROVED BY GOD

READINGS: FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

In the second reading of this 5th Sunday of Easter, Year A, (1 Peter 2:4-9), St. Peter says that we are living stones chosen and precious in the sight of God, and like living stones, should build ourselves into a spiritual house (Verses 4-5). What St. Peter is basically saying here is that we are not useless stones lying by the roadside, not rejected fragments without value, and not forgotten pieces without purpose. We are living stones, chosen, precious, and approved by God. Hallelujah!

With such approval, one may still wonder why many people still seek approval elsewhere. There is always the temptation to carry the heavy burden of trying to approve ourselves; trying to prove that we are enough by our achievements, appearance, status, possessions, education, influence, or success. Yet self-approval can become exhausting because it is often shaped by comparison and wounded by insecurity. Even when we tell ourselves we are enough, one harsh comment, one failure, one rejection, or one disappointment can shake such a foundation.

It is also tempting to seek approval from others, which is very dangerous, because we can easily become like chameleons, changing color to match every environment; living by others’ expectations, opinions, judgments, and prejudices. Their truth becomes our truth, their image of us becomes our identity, their acceptance becomes our oxygen, their applause becomes our compass, and the moment we disagree, grow, change, or refuse to fit into their box, we risk losing their approval. We also risk never becoming who God knows us to be. Scripture warns, “It is dangerous to be concerned with what others think of you” (Proverbs 29:25). Measuring our worth by the opinions of others is a losing battle, because we can easily begin to live trapped, shrink to make others comfortable, doubt our gifts because someone else could not recognize them, live down to people’s prejudices instead of living up to God’s calling, or become prisoners of the very voices Christ came to free us from.

My friends, while people may see your past, God sees your purpose. While people may judge your weakness, God sees your grace. While people may define you by where you come from, where you have been, what you lack, what you failed at, or what they think you cannot become, God sees the strength within you, the David hidden inside the shepherd boy, the courage inside the fearful disciple, the living stone, even when others see only a rejected rock. It is always good to realize that we are what God knows us to be—chosen, gifted, loved, strengthened, forgiven, and called. We are wired by grace to do good, endure hardship, rise after failure, stand firm in opposition, serve with dignity, and live beyond the narrow boundaries that life, society, or other people may try to place around us.

Believing this truth is not pride. It is faith. It is not arrogance. It is gratitude. St. Paul understood this when he said, “By the grace of God I am what I am” (1 Corinthians 15:10). This is the Christian foundation of healthy self-worth. I am not valuable because everyone approves of me, or because I have no flaws, or because I am better than anyone else. I am valuable because God has looked upon me with love and called me His own. The beauty in this understanding is that if I am who I am by the grace of God, then my neighbor is also who they are by the grace of God. Therefore, we must never look down on anyone or use someone’s weakness, poverty, profession, background, age, accent, struggle, or past failures as a reason to diminish their dignity. A community of living stones does not build walls of rejection but houses of belonging; it does not crush people with judgment but helps them discover their worth; it does not measure human dignity by popularity, wealth, tribe, race, profession, or status but sees every person as someone precious before God.

In all, therefore, we should never look down on ourselves, not because we are perfect, but because we are God’s work in progress. We should never despise our beginnings, nor surrender our identity to the loudest opinion in the room, nor let criticism become our mirror, nor let society’s prejudice become our prophecy. We should always remember this: “I am a living stone, chosen by God, approved by the Lord, and by His grace I am what I am”. May this truth guide our days, steady our spirits, humble our pride.