Embracing Acceptance

Amazingly (and yet I really shouldn’t be amazed), the evening after writing my last post regarding my longing to be accepted for who I am, I opened my inspirational calendar to this quote:

When we open our hearts and let God speak to us, we discover we’re truly known and loved in a way we never thought possible. The acceptance we long for is already ours if only we’ll dare to embrace it.

So here’s to daring to embrace acceptance! The knowledge that God loves me and accepts me is a truth I really do know deep down in my heart, but I think–like many other areas of my life–it will require me to embark on a journey to experience it fully.

Thank you, Father, for embracing me freely, and for showing me (however long it may take) how to embrace You in return.


Quote from: God’s Heart for You, by Holley Gerth

Longing for Acceptance

Feelings of insecurity assail me.

I compare myself to others,

And always come up short.

I want to be myself –

To be who I truly am…

But I am afraid.

Afraid that people won’t like me.

Afraid that I am different;

That I won’t fit in.

All that I have ever wanted

Was to be “normal.”

I’m told, “There is no normal.”

But this doesn’t make me feel any better,

And it doesn’t assure me that I am not some freak

Just trying to look like everyone else.

Why can’t I be myself?

Why can’t I be “different?”

Fear. Confusion. Doubt.

Lack of confidence. Loneliness. Indecision.

My brain just doesn’t work like everyone else’s.

My thoughts get a little crazy,

And my emotions can be unstable.

I feel alone and misunderstood.

I feel…judged. And I don’t like it.

I wish there were someone who understood,

Someone who cared.

Someone who would walk beside me in the darkness.

Who would hold my hand,

And tell me that everything is going to be all right.

But I’m still waiting. Longing. Hoping.

I know to Whom I need to go,

And I know that He is the missing piece to this puzzle.

But sometimes I feel as if He’s not there.

That He doesn’t see me.

That He doesn’t care.

That He has the power to deliver me, and yet He doesn’t.

Why does He leave me like this?

My thoughts are tortured, my mind is calloused.

My words pour forth, and yet I feel that they fall on deaf ears.

Is there anyone listening?

Is there anyone who cares?

Is there anyone who understands?

Is there anyone who will see me for who I truly am,

And love me just the same?

Is there anyone – anyone at all –

Who feels the same way?


I lift up my eyes to the mountains –

Where does my help come from?

My help comes from the LORD,

The Maker of heaven and earth.

Psalm 121:1-2


Image Credit: Alberto Restifo

Experiencing the Love of God

We are a part of the family of God–and so we belong with Him. There is no special ticket, no need to earn or prove ourselves. For better or worse, we have His name, His love, His loyalty, His acceptance.

And because of this we can have hope. He said that He is going to build a place for us–a place to belong where we can celebrate even more in the beauty of His creation.

So often, we want to please God so we seek to keep a list of holy rules or behaviors.

We strive and work and fret in our Christian life to do “God’s will.”

The truth is, we cannot do the will of God until we know and experience the love of God.

Accepting and living within this sweet comfort and security is the place we will find the strength to live our lives well in a fallen world.”

~Excerpt from You Are Loved — Embracing the Everlasting Love God has for Youby Sally Clarkson and Angela Perritt


What do YOU think?

You Are Loved