To the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. (Ephesians 1:6 NKJV)
The altar had emptied of people, and the pastor and his wife hugged me. “You did such a great job!”
“Really?”
I couldn’t believe I heard those words from my pastor’s lips. I had come from a denomination that rebuked women who taught and preached the Word of God. I wrestled with this concept for a long time myself. Elated with my pastor’s approval, I felt like I sat on top of the world.
Earlier my husband’s words had convicted me. “Why does it matter what a man thinks, if God is pleased?”
I had stopped seeking the applause of heaven and began seeking the applause of man. I desperately desired the acceptance of people, because people had rejected me all my life. Through it all, I had neglected the acceptance of God, my heavenly Father.
He had accepted me long ago, when others turned their backs. He loved me so much that He made me accepted in the beloved, according to today’s verse. Yet, I had strived for acceptance from humans. That makes the applause of people an idol for me. Without realizing what I had done, I had created my own golden calf and began dancing around it.
As a visually impaired child, rejection followed me through school. Even more shocking, it followed me into the church. When Christians shun you, it warps your thinking. What is wrong with me? It must be that I’m a burden, so they don’t ask me to go out with them.
Friend, if you have lived through similar experiences, those people aren’t worth impressing. Why would we even want to be friends with people like that?
Look beyond men and look to God.
God’s love for us far exceeds that of people. He has not only accepted us, but He has made us acceptable. He smiles down on us, and one day, we will hear the words we have longed to hear. “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”
The world wants us to believe that popularity and hanging out with the right crowd equals a successful life. Don’t listen to the lies of this world. Listen to the echoes of your heavenly Father’s love in His Word. Run into His arms. Our identity is found in Him and not the world.
Heavenly Father, forgive me for not realizing I had the greatest love and approval from You. Help me stop striving for a place in this world and even in the church. I rest in who You say I am. Help me show others Your love, the love I never saw in people. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
DIG DEEPER
HIKING THE TRAIL
Stop believing the enemy’s lie that you are unlovable or unacceptable. Start believing the truth of God’s Word found in this passage.
RELATED RESOURCE
Do you struggle with feeling unwanted and unacceptable? Would you like the tools to turn that around? I can offer that to you in my upcoming book, Faith That Walks on Water: Conquering Emotional Bondage With the Armor of God. It won’t be available until November, so for now, I invite you to join a group of women all struggling with something in this world. Click here.
Originally posted on July 22, 2022 @ 3:00 am