"He predestined us for adoption
as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to the
praise of His glorious grace, with which He has accepted us in the
Beloved." (Eph. 1:5-6)
What do you
do when you are stuck in the house on a rainy holiday? Last week, our family
had the crazy idea to experiment with blue hair dye. By the end of the day
everybody who was game, including me, had blue streaks or tips. That was when
Toria, my 8-year-old, made this priceless request: "Mama, can you come to
my class so that everyone can see your blue hair? When the kids see that my
hair is like yours, they will think I am so cool!"
While I revel in knowing that my daughter would think of me as so cool that she would be considered cool by association, this statement also underlines her dependence on others' opinions. She is not alone in this. Focus on the Family published a survey in which school-aged children were asked what their greatest fear is. The majority feared, above all else, being viewed as uncool because of something they did, said, or wore. Of course I could also relate to this fear from my own experience. For decades my fear of rejection had dictated how I related to others.
I believe one of the greatest gifts we can give the children God has put into our care is to teach them how they are viewed by God. 1 Thessalonians 2:4 states, "Just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts." The key is to show our kids that they are approved by God. From my own experience, I know that the more I understand God's approval, the less I struggle with desiring the praise of others, freeing me up to be who God wants me to be. Then I can seek to do God's will, rather than wasting my energy on worrying about how I am viewed by others.
While I revel in knowing that my daughter would think of me as so cool that she would be considered cool by association, this statement also underlines her dependence on others' opinions. She is not alone in this. Focus on the Family published a survey in which school-aged children were asked what their greatest fear is. The majority feared, above all else, being viewed as uncool because of something they did, said, or wore. Of course I could also relate to this fear from my own experience. For decades my fear of rejection had dictated how I related to others.
I believe one of the greatest gifts we can give the children God has put into our care is to teach them how they are viewed by God. 1 Thessalonians 2:4 states, "Just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts." The key is to show our kids that they are approved by God. From my own experience, I know that the more I understand God's approval, the less I struggle with desiring the praise of others, freeing me up to be who God wants me to be. Then I can seek to do God's will, rather than wasting my energy on worrying about how I am viewed by others.
Our
acceptance is not based upon what we have done or who we are, but on the fact
that God made us His sons and daughters. He will not leave us as orphans (John 14:18 ). Along with this adoption are
some underlying blessings God speaks
over each one of us. We’ll look at some of those this week.
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