Accepted
Image courtesy of Master isolated images / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
We all want to be accepted for who we truly are. But the truth is that not everyone will accept us. We cannot please everyone. These are truths the Lord taught me years ago and continues to do so. He showed me that He is pleased with me and that if I am living my life focusing on pleasing Him and Him alone, that He will work on the rest.
“Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10
A few weeks ago, when my son was 3-1/2 months old, we brought him to my husband’s workplace so everyone could meet Joshua. After returning home, I was thinking about how some of my husband’s coworkers were so excited to meet Joshua, but there were also some who hardly even looked his way. This is a 3-1/2 month old, who wouldn’t drool over a sweet little baby who coos and smiles? Apparently not everyone. I was not offended in the least bit. If anything, it inspired this post. The Lord likes to use “life” to teach me important principles and truth.
My son does the basic things in life. He sleeps, he eats, he poops, and it’s usually in that order. When he was in my womb, before I ever laid my eyes upon him, I loved him and delighted in him. He does not need to perform in order for me to love him–I just love him. I think he’s the cutest baby boy ever, but I’m bias because I’m his mother. I want everyone to look at him and go “gaga” over how adorable and sweet my little boy is.
And you know what? I am pretty sure that’s how the Lord, our Heavenly Father, feels about us. He’s like, “See my child? Isn’t she beautiful? I made her? I weaved her together in her mother’s womb. Isn’t she amazing?” But just like what happened when I brought my son to my husband’s work, not everyone feels the same way I do. But it doesn’t mean he’s not cute and super adorable (because, hello, he is!). I mean, look at this face:
Who could resist that?
But you know what, it doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks about my son, because he is loved!
There are going to be people who get really excited about you and they are going to think you are great, but there are also people who won’t give you a second-glance or think much of you. I think we tend to focus on the people who don’t accept us, instead of focusing on the One who loves us and delights in us. Joyce Meyer says in her book, Approval Addiction (which is a really great read on this subject and I highly recommend it), that 2% of the population won’t like us. I don’t know about you, but I would rather focus on the 98% of the population who does like me! And better yet, on the Lord who loves and accepts me 100% of the time!
Your Heavenly Father thinks so much of you that He sent His One and Only Son to die for you, to save you from your sins, to redeem you from eternal death, to give you power to tread on serpents, and the list goes on and on. Sacrificing His only Son was THE ultimate sacrifice! Your Heavenly Father said you are WORTH it! He likes you!
“The Lord your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”
Zephaniah 3:17
For many years of my life, I felt that I had to perform in order to earn love. If I worked hard enough, I would be loved. If I did the job right, I would be accepted. But I have learned that I’m not going to please everyone at the same time, and getting man’s approval is going to set me up for disappointment later on. I had to get to the place where I saw myself in God’s eyes and focused on what HE says about me instead of what the world says about me or thinks I should be. It doesn’t matter what anyone else says, God loves me and He cares about me. That’s what counts!
And really, I just have to say that this world has problems if they can’t pause and take in the wonder of a cute 3-1/2 month old, right?
I mean, look at him:
God thinks you are pretty cute too!
*wink*
Maybe you don’t think you are too cute. Maybe your parents or someone who should have loved you unconditionally showed you or even told you that they would love you when you were smarter, prettier, skinny, worked harder, got better grades, etc. Sometimes people in our life don’t love us the way God intended for them to love us. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t loveable. God says you are lovable. And He loves you! Maybe you were rejected by those who should have stood by your side. God will never leave you nor forsake you. Christ understands that rejection. He was rejected every day of His life when He was on this earth; and people continue to reject Him and His love every single day. He knows what it feels like to be despised. But He knew that His Heavenly Father loved Him and that’s all that mattered to Him. He was here to do the will of His Father. He was going to do what He came to do for us with JOY, no matter what anyone thought of Him.
“Our worth is not based on what we do, which life path we choose, or what we believe [or how much we weigh or our size]. Our worth is inherent in the fact that we are image bearers of the living God. Our worth is based on the fact that we are alive. We are human beings. Our worth is immeasurable.”* Isn’t that awesome? He made us in His image. When He created you, He said, “Very good!” When I held my son for the very first time, there was this huge, unmeasurable love radiating from my heart for this sweet, little baby! And I know the Lord’s love for my son is even greater, even deeper, even wider. God is enamored by you! He is in deep, deep love with you!
“The only reflection that really matters is the reflection we see in his loving and joyous eyes.”* Look into His Word and see what He says about you!
“How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful!” Song of Solomon 4:1a
“Let me hear your voice;for your voice is sweet and your face is lovely.” Song of Solomon 2:14
“I have learned that being beautiful, feeling lovely, and enjoying who we uniquely are have absolutely nothing to do with our weight, our age, or the shape of our bodies”* Amen!!
“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.” 1 Peter 3:3-6
“Being beautiful is a quality of spirit recognized primarily in a woman whose soul is at rest because she believes her God when he calls her lovely She is no longer striving to reach the world’s unattainable standards of beauty and acceptance but instead is receiving the inheritance that is hers as an image bearer of the living God. She is embracing who God has made her to be.”*
Do believe you are lovely? Are you embracing who God has made you to be?
“Jesus is the only one who can meet the deepest needs of your heart, and he wants you to know how deeply he loves you so badly that he’s moved heaven and earth to do it. He is the only one who will never disappoint you, never ever leave you, comfort you intimately, and love you perfectly every single moment of your life. Invite him in.”*
I will disappoint my son at times. Even though I love him SO MUCH and I delight in him, I won’t be the perfect mother (even at my best). But that doesn’t mean he’s not worthy of love. God is the only perfect parent. People will disappoint us. But God will never disappoint us.
God loves you unconditionally. He accepts you. He will never disappoint you. He says you are beautiful, you are worth it, and you are loved.
How about you? Have you felt rejected by people in your life? Are you ready to embrace the One true Love and all He has to offer you? Spend time in His Word, ask Him what He says about you, what He thinks about you. You can get started by looking up these verses: Psalm 139 and Psalm 18.
*Becoming Myself: Embracing God’s Dream of You by Stasi Eldredge
