“Entering into this fullness is not something you figure out or achieve. It’s not a matter of being circumcised or keeping a long list of laws. No, you’re already in –insiders—not through some secretive initiation rite but rather through what Christ has already gone through for you, destroying the power of sin.” ~ Colossians 2:11 Msg
Lately the Lord has been showing me that my tendency to control my loved ones is rooted in a desire to help them fit in with the world. I have bought the lie that they must blend in to be accepted. Though I thought I was protecting my people, God has recently shown me that what I am really trying to protect is my own fit with the world and my own image with others. None of us want to be rejected; we have a deep longing for love and acceptance. However, what we often fail to remember is that true love and acceptance is found in God alone. If I live my life following the patterns of this world – what is socially acceptable, or in fashion – I am doing what God tells me not to do. God tells me not to conform, but to be transformed. When everything in my flesh screams, “Blend in”, He says, “Be Separate!” This earth is not my home, so why do I keep trying to make myself fit so comfortably here? God calls me to find my sense of belonging in Him alone. He tells me I am an insider, one who belongs to Him, because of what Christ has done for me. I don’t have to go through the secret initiation rite. I don’t have to find references, write a resume, keep a list of laws, or impress the right people. I am already in!
Prayer: Heavenly Father, forgive me for trying to find my sense of belonging in people. Help me to embrace the fact that I am your precious child and that I belong to you. Help me then to see my loved ones as yours as well, and keep me from trying to mold them to the image of the world. AMEN…so be it!