Known, Accepted & Loved

Every day we live with a great irony: we have an unending desire to be accepted, yet, on the other hand, we're afraid to be completely & intimately known.

If you've seen The Mask, you will know that Jim Carrey's character hides behind a literal mask that accentuates certain character traits that seem to make him more appealing to the girl of his dreams. At one point in the movie he struggles with whether he should meet her as himself or the mask. His dilemma is that he is not confident his dream girl will like him if she really knew him.

Aren't we like that?

Many of us carry feelings of inadequacy and shame & have convinced ourselves of the need to hide; to project certain images of ourselves that we falsely believe are more acceptable.

When we hide behind a mask, the relationships we share are less real - we are robbed of knowing we are not alone; there are others like us.

As a result, many of us carry around the lie that we're worse than the next person (don't hear what I'm not saying - we're not better than the next person either - just much more alike than we think).

To some degree, if we feel others would reject our "true" selves, then we'll carry doubts about God's acceptance of us as well & this can be devastating.

The truth is we are fully known & accepted by God. Don't miss either of these.

If we were only known by God (as faithless, self absorbed, unloving & sinful people) that would be devastating. However, God knows us (knows all about us) & still He accepts us just as we are, for who we are!

Does it get any better than this!?!

Psalm 139:1
O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.

**Further working out of these thoughts in Furious Pursuit

Grace

Not too long ago I was sharing with some people that to say one doesn't like another person says more about one's love maturity level than it does about the love-worthiness of another.

God's love of people is not based on whether they are love worthy or even whether they deserve it - it's based on His character/who He is.

Whether we choose to love others or not says more about us than others. It speaks to our character and whether or not we are maturing people of love.

I recently heard someone say that one of the lessons a recent set of events has taught her is to love more, forgive more & judge less.

At the beginning of a New Year, these are admirable resolves that would begat deep character qualities for a better life, better relationships & an overall better year.

Perfect Love

God is perfect love.

Created in the image of God, we carry the reflection of his perfect love within us.

Christ came to demonstrate that God’s perfect love can exist as a present reality in our world.

That reality of perfect love continues to unfold as we become more aware of Christ within each of us.

We each embrace our true identity in Christ as love – we become love in our world.

Whatever the cost, we love.

Unconditionally and indiscriminately, we love.

Selflessly and sacrificially, we love.

Though it may require our own lives, we are free to love.

We are more than just our earthly containers (our physical bodies) and even if our earthly containers are sacrificed in the process, we never lose our true selves.

As the body of Christ on earth lives perfect love, the brokenness of our world becomes healed.

The groaning of creation is silenced.

Hate has been overcome by love.

Fear has been swallowed up by freedom.

We move forward but somehow journey backward and gain access to the relationship and reality Adam had with God in perfect love.

The story was always true.

God’s kingdom comes.

Perfect Love’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven.

It’s what Jesus was saying all along. God and man, heaven and earth will be one.

With a beam reaching high into the heavens, and the other stretching parallel to earth, Jesus died so the new reality would be born.

~via Jim's blog