The more I think about it, the less hesitant I am to call it the fear of rejection. What is more terrifying than presenting the best of who you are to the person you admire the most in this world, without knowing whether they will accept the real you? I will say it again…if you are anything like me…as soon as you read that question you thought something along the lines of, “that isn’t that terrifying,” or, “I don’t care what people think of me.” Regardless of the excuse that was made in your mind, it cannot be argued that this is difficult; to say…this is what I am the most passionate about, these are all of my talents, this is what I am best at, this is my potential, and this is what I truly enjoy for no other reason than the fact that this is who I am! Here’s an example: I like to drink tea. I like tea to the point that my brother bought me a tea set for Christmas and it wasn’t even a joke. So what! I like to drink tea and I don’t care what you think. Or maybe I do.
So now that you are about to quit reading because of the endless amount of words, here is my point. All of our acceptance, significance, and assurance is found in God. We don’t need to prove to anyone in this world that we are significant. The only audible words recorded in the Bible that are spoken to Jesus from God the Father are found in Luke 3:22, “…You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” This is like Jesus’ acceptance; Jesus’ significance is found only in God. God accepts each one of us individually and assures us that He will always love us. God wants to have an eternal relationship with our true being. It is disrespectful to God to be ashamed of who you are because He made you!
The result of God accepting us is power; God’s glory can be radiated through us. We can be confident in our talents, regardless of circumstances, outcomes, or what people think. Instead of letting others dictate how we act, we can express ourselves in a true and real way. Our lives become worship to God simply by living the way He has intended us to live, without being ashamed or unsure. This power allows us to strip off our pride and say to God, “I don’t have anything to prove to anyone, work through me in whatever way you desire.”
Despite what God has done for us, we still search for acceptance by others. We continually question our significance. Is that wrong? Is it a sin to go to others for our assurance, significance, and acceptance? How do we find our acceptance in God? Think about your own life. What does it mean to you to be accepted by God and how should that change one’s life? What don't you agree with??
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12 comments:
Our greatest fear is not that our weaknesses will be discovered, but that our full glory will be revealed.
I think that this is such a great topic. I love the verse Markus used about God the Father's words to Jesus. I think we all need to hear that.
When we realize that we are fully accepted by God for who we truly are, then, and only then, can we fully begin to love ourselves. I know I used to think it was bad or unholy to love myself. It sounds selfish doesn’t it? It’s almost the opposite of being humble. But loving yourself is a perfectly natural holy reaction to feeling fully accepted by God.
Why is it important to love ourselves?...Great question, I am glad you asked… Throughout the Bible we are commanded to love others as we love ourselves. In Matthew 22 Jesus is asked about the greatest commandments and he says this, “And the second is like it: ‘’Love your neighbor as yourself.” How in the world are you supposed to love your neighbor if you don’t love yourself? And how are we supposed to love ourselves if we don’t accept or feel fully accepted by God?
I think it is very destructive to try to get your significance in anything other than God. Destructive to us, and destructive to the person who we require such an impossible task. How could anyone ever validate us the way we need God to?
awesome posts, I like what you guys said. for me, this is the easiest part of Christianity to understand but the most difficult part to practice. I know God loves me and that I should find my satisfaction in Him, but I can't get my head around exactly how to do that. I still seek the validation from humans despite the fact that I know they will let me down.
so is it wrong to find our significance or be validated in any way by others???
i know you said it is jake, but is it wrong in every way?
I think "yes" it's wrong for validation, and "no" for significance.
I think there is a big difference between the two. Validation is what we seek to see how we are living up to who God wants us to be. So, who do we want to be? Jesus. Validation should only come from the one who knows exactly who you are supposed to become. If we don't even know who that person is, how could anyone else? How could anyone else know our thoughts and motives behind the "Christian" things we do? Validation is like giving your stamp of approval for something, certifying that it is legitimate. When we start looking for others, even our wives/family members, to give us that approval based on what they see outwardly, or what you happen to "choose" to show them inwardly is when we get into trouble because that's when we start jumping through hoops and putting on our Jesus mask, and that mask typically looks like whatever the other person thinks Jesus should look like rather than Jesus himself.
However...significance is a whole different thing. I think we almost need others in a way to have significance.
i think thejake is on point here. although, this discussion could very easily devolve into a debate over the meanings of these words.
it seems to me that (as jake hit on) we need to seek our self worth in God and Him alone. if that is our focus, i think being validated or given significance by others is not a big deal. it's only when human opinon becomes more important to you than God's opinion that you've got a problem
man thats a good point...that it is ok to recieve "all that stuff" from others as long as it's not more important than God's opinion.
its funny (by funny i mean horrible) how we dont truly care that we lied to someone until they find out, or that were being selfish until someone gets hurt by it...when really it should be God's opinion that makes us care.
this whole "accepted" topic is pretty strange. ive had someone ask me..."i wan't to find myself in God but how do i do that?" all i could say is to talk to God. is there really anything else to say?
Know your Bible
Paul talks about this idea in Romans 3:1-2 when speaking about the advantage of the Jew. We have a similar advantage-we have the bible. We don't have to guess about who God is, we can read about Him. We can know God, and he speaks through his word.
yessss good point!
im gonna post on sunday, and start posting every sunday. if theres anything anyone wants to talk about just bring it up or let me know
I feel like a lot of girls struggle with this in relationships. girls will even seek this acceptance from guys, which is why some girls desire a romantic relationship so badly. girls: as a guy, i can honestly say that you cannot in any way search for validation from a boyfriend. you MUST look to God. when you look to a guy for your acceptance, there is a void you are trying to fill and it cannot be filled by anyone but God. Believe it or not, a boyfriend will not make you happy however great a man of God he is unless you look to God for your acceptance. When you don't, it IS impossible for a guy to make you feel completely loved because he is competing with God, and man cannot win that contest.
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