Tag: Jesus Christ

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

A Daddy Writes to His Daughter

My Sweet Daughter,

I know that you’re not feeling well (Psalm 56:6). I can see that you’re hurting (Genesis 16:13). I feel your pain and I understand what you’re going through (Hebrews 4:15). 

I want to encourage you. You are loved (Jeremiah 31:3). You are precious. You are priceless. You are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139). And above all, You are mine (Isaiah 43:1).

My gracious love will be with you during the day, and my song will be with you during the night (Psalm 42:8). I hear your cries, your desperate pleas. I am listening. I will bring you up out of the pit you are in. Out of the mud and the muck that wants to pull you under. I am your Rock–and you can plant your feet firmly on Me. I will give you a song of praise that will be an encouragement to others, and that will prompt them to trust in Me, as well (Psalm 42:1-3).

You can let go of the perfectionism. Let go of the need to perform, to meet unreachable standards, to live up to everyone’s expectations. I know that you are only human, and that you make mistakes. The sin that you committed–the one you are obsessing about? I have already forgiven it. Those harsh words that you said in anger? I have already forgotten them. I am Your loving Father, and I take care of my own (Psalm 103:8 and 11-14).

Bring me the burdens that you are trying to carry. The hurts, the hangups, the worries, the fears. They are too heavy for You, and you are not meant to handle them. My shoulders are strong enough to bear them. And I want to give you something instead–joy and rest and peace and life, as You yield your will to my own and trust in Me (Matthew 11:28-30; John 10:10).

I long for Your worship, even when you don’t feel like it. I yearn for your praise, even when it hurts (Hebrews 13:15). I remain the same–unsearchable in greatness, full of mighty deeds, clothed in splendor and majesty. I am good, righteous, and gracious; full of compassion, slow to anger, and great in mercy. I open my hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. I delight in your devotion, and I am near to you in your time of trouble. I will save you and preserve your life, as you fear and love me (Psalm 145).

My Princess, give me all of your worries, because I care about You more than you could ever know (1 Peter 5:7).

Love Your Daddy, the King of all Creation,

God Almighty

Image Credit: Unknown