Completely Accepted

That last video about racial reconciliation actually reminded me of the previous video about the beauty queen. Think about it. The very thing that they felt insecure about and had the deepest pain about was the thing that Christ healed completely. And Jesus came to do that for everyone! The beauty queen was ridiculed for being unattractive and the Black man was ridiculed, attacked, and made to feel hated for being Black. Many people who feel insecure or hated feel like they have to justify themselves, to be accepted, to prove themselves of worth. But what is their source of acceptance?

I was just thinking today about my time at UC Davis and about how I always felt like I had to prove to people that I was good enough, that I should be accepted, because I felt some people had rejected me because I'm White. I learned that no matter how hard you try, no matter how much you go out of your way to please people and prove yourself to people and to be accepted, there are always people who will reject you, even for no good reason. But I came to realize that God has accepted me on account of the sacrifice of his son Jesus, and that's good enough for me. I don't have to prove myself to people anymore. I don't have to build a reputation. I don't have to be a self-promoter. He's set me free from all that. He has accepted me. He loves me and I love him. What more could I want?

(This is not license to instead act or live in an offensive manner, but rather to show that you will always feel less than completely accepted if people are your basis for self-esteem.)

Don't measure your worth based on what people think of you. Whose opinion really matters? Strangers'? Isn't that ridiculous how people will think that strangers' opinions of them are more important than God's? Think about the amount of time, effort, and money people put into impressing strangers. What do they get out of it? And then think about the amount of time they put into impressing God. It's insanity, really.

I've seen people have a good belly laugh about me, my convictions, or what I hold dear in order to attack my self-confidence. But there will always be people like that. What does it really matter? How much does their opinion count in matters of eternity? No, I feel really sorry for them, even sad. If scripture didn't dissuade me from pleading with mockers, I'd try to reach them.

Sometimes I cry when I think about how Jesus came to rescue me. Did he really care that much about our pains? On the cross, did he really care about some guy half way around the world who would live 2000 years later and feel hurt and lost? I picture him hanging on the cross, saying my name... "Matt!"......
Of course he does. Does he care about you? Of course he does.
He died for you. What love!

Can you picture him there saying your name?