In my family, I’ve never been the favored one. My little brother held that privileged position from the moment he was born, all the way into adulthood, even to my mother’s death. Such deeply carved, empty caverns resulted from it, along with enough resentment, pain, and bitterness to fill an entire ocean. I was well into adulthood before the Lord began to work through the hurt and heartache that this caused in my young heart. Rejection from anyone, especially from a parent, can be an enormous hindrance to living that abundant life we are learning about this month.
Rejection
I would venture to say that every one of us has experienced rejection at least one time in our lives. Many others would say that it rears its ugly head in steady doses with certain people. It could be a friend or a sibling, but can be especially hurtful if it comes from a parent. If this describes you, I have great encouragement to share with you today! The first chapter of the gospel of John says,
Becoming His Child
When we say, “yes” to Jesus and put our trust in Him, God gives us the right to become His child. Wow. The perfect Father calls us His own children. The word right, in this verse, in the Greek, means “authority, power” (Goodrick & Kohlenburger, 1999). That means we have the permission, the prestige and the power to become a child of God.
What are usual benefits of being someone’s child?
- Love and acceptance
- Protection and security
- Help when we need it
- Inheritance
These are all wonderful things, and in many families, they are all present. However, in just as many homes, children experience the opposite of these because human nature, unresolved past hurts, and even selfishness gets in the way of parents providing these.
Love and Acceptance
Have you ever felt that no matter how hard you try, you cannot do enough to please that certain person in your life? I mean, what does it take to be accepted and loved the way you are?
Rest easy my friend. Our God, not only loves you with perfect love that is not hindered by human nature or past hurts, but He also meets you and loves you where you are. This is true acceptance.
Protection, Security, and Helper
When I was a little girl, I remember feeling secure in going to bed at night when my mom was still up. There was just something about knowing she was awake and aware that helped me to relax and go to sleep. God is like this with us, as He is always aware and present. Psalm 121 is beautiful verse that shows God in the role of protector: I lift my eyes toward the mountains. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber” (vs. 1-3).
God is also our refuge, a secure place to dwell in uncertain times (Ps 46:1). When my Kennedy Claire passed away at 5 months, I went through a long, dark time of grief and even depression. In the midst of this time, the Lord gave me Psalm 17:8b: hide me in the shadow of your wings. I could picture myself pressing up to His side, while He covered over me. This brought much comfort and peace in such a difficult time. He was Protector, Security, and Helper all in one in those precious moments.
Inheritance
Have you ever worried, because of family circumstances, if you would have a share in the inheritance from a parent? Honestly, I have. As a young adult, I used to allow it to consume quite a bit of my time. It dictated how hard I tried to accommodate and please, which caused quite a bit of unnecessary stress. Then, God confronted my worry and strife by showing me the truth. Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, (Romans 8:17). I am an heir of God. You are an heir of God. We are co-heirs with Christ. I found myself exploring what all this means.
- First, you and I are daughters of the King of kings and Lord of lords, the King of glory ( 24:7-10), King of all the earth (Ps. 47:7). Do you know what that makes us? Princesses. Every little girl dreams of being a princess. I wonder if God, Himself, places that desire in our hearts, because He wants to be our King and wants us to be His children.
- If we have accepted God’s Son, Jesus and placed our trust in Him, He has a kingly inheritance waiting for us in heaven. What does this mean? It means that for all eternity we will have His faithful love ( 103:17). We will live in heaven, which is full of beauty and perfection. It has gates made of pearl, a foundation of precious jewels, and streets of gold (Rev. 21:9-21).
- We will always be in His presence ( 139:7).
- Everything belongs to Him ( 50:10-12) and He supplies all our needs for eternity (Phil. 4:19).
Our Love for our Own Children
Think about how much you love your children. For me, I loved my Morgan girl from the moment I laid eyes on her with such a powerful love that filled my chest and made my heart pound, so much so, that it still causes my heart to ache even though she is 27 years old. If I love her like that, and I am a fallen, sinful human, imagine how God feels about us as one He created. He is the very essence and definition of love. Sweet friend, revel in that right this moment. Close your eyes and picture that love you have for your little one or your big one and picture God loving you exponentially more than that. Praise Him.
You and I do not have to worry about the love and acceptance we have missed. When we keep our eyes on who Jesus is and wants to be in our lives, the hurts and resentment melt away and are replaced with peace and thanksgiving. He is the Good, Good Father, and we are loved by Him. End by taking a moment to click (here) and listen to Big Daddy Weave sing over you while you praise your Abba.
Be blessed.
References
Goodrick, E.W. & Kohlenburger, J.R. (1999). NIV Exhaustive Concordance (2nd ed.). Grand
Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing Co.
