A New Line of Code

A few weeks ago, I was listening to an interview with a former FBI hostage negotiator. He was fascinating—steeped in psychology and truly a student of human behavior. He was talking about what motivates people and said it’s as if everyone has two lines of code (like computer code) programmed deep inside them. Somebody said something to us when we were little kids—our “two lines of magic code.” That’s what really drives the direction we go. It has to do with how we view ourselves.

He went on to say, “I met a guy one time who was… well, he was a surprise to his family. They thought they were done having kids, and 10 years later, another one was on the way. Someone in that family used to love telling this guy he was a mistake—an accident…”

In contrast, I’m reminded of a beautiful passage in the book of Isaiah. Isaiah was writing to people living in exile in Babylon—far from home. Their homeland was in ruins; their temple destroyed. They felt forgotten, rejected, unworthy, and hopeless. And into that setting, God spoke through Isaiah:

“But now thus says the Lord,
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine…
You are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you…”

What’s that like? It’s like a new line of code.

Some of us have been told—by parents, coaches, or friends—in subtle and not-so-subtle ways, “You’re not good enough. You’ll never measure up. You’re not worthy.” And those messages play like tapes in our minds. They manifest in all kinds of ways: rejection, low self-esteem, fear of closeness… Sometimes it also shows up as a constant anxiety driving us to compare ourselves to others or prove we’re enough.

Today, I pray that you and I could accept a new line of code. God says to us:

“I have called you by name, you are mine… you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you…”

Let us pray: Gracious God, we thank you for your love for us—a love that you have promised will never end. Help us to accept that love in the very deepest part of our being, that we would live and give out of that foundation. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.