Are You Enough? By Rebekah Sather

It’s my pleasure to have my daughter Rebekah as my guest author today.  I think you will agree that her words will stretch you and encourage you to draw closer to the Lord. I hope to convince her to stop by more often and share her heart with you.

Are You Enough?

By Rebekah Sather

Being ridiculed is awful. I’ll never forget the mortification of having two girls behind me in line at a mall elbow each other, whispering and smiling as they eyed me and my decidedly-not-fashionable outfit.

They didn’t have to say anything to me directly; my heart heard the thoughts behind their cutting looks.

I was about eleven or twelve at the time, and they probably weren’t much older. Perspectives change. But, even with an adult’s awareness of the pettiness (and oftentimes insecurity) that’s behind bullying, moments like that can make you desperate to fit in at any cost. Wanting to be part of the “in” crowd is a yearning everyone has, no matter what age they are.

We want to please. Appeal. Be attractive enough. Cool enough.

But the question is: cool/attractive/appealing enough for whom? Who are we trying to please?

1 Peter 3:4 says, “Let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.”

If I were really seeking to please God, then I would be more concerned about checking the state of my spirit than I would be with checking the state of my hair. I would be more concerned about being gentle and quiet before Him than I would be with color-coordinating my outfit, or getting my hair just so, or putting on earrings.

But all too often the reverse is true of me: I’m more concerned with appearing to be “put together” on the outside than I am with truly being put together—by God’s grace—on the inside.

It makes me think about all the times I’ve lost my temper or gotten frazzled and harried by the day, unable to cope with the stress of unexpected events—or about the way a hurtful reaction from complete strangers can send me spiraling down into self-conscious anxiety.

And it makes me wonder why that is. Why should anyone value the opinions of other, imperfect human beings like us above being cherished in the sight of our heavenly Father, who knows you and me like no one else ever will?

I think that deep down we all know that we will never be enough according to the world. Fashions change. The ideals of what is beautiful and praise-worthy change from year to year and person to person. Any admiration you receive from others based on your own personal merit is a fickle thing—you’re a sinful human being, and so are your admirers. All you have to do to see that played out is look at the majority of Hollywood’s best and most beautiful, and all the ruined and unhappy lives of people who “have it all.”

But how do we “quiet” ourselves? How do we learn to have a gentle spirit instead of vying for attention and approval from the world?

Zephaniah 3:17 says, “The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”

He not only saved us, but he “rejoices” and “exults” over us, and quiets us with His love.

God has given us the grace right now—no matter how valuable we may or may not feel based on our own merit and looks—to be precious in the sight of the one whose opinion is the only opinion that will ultimately matter.

Rebekah is a homeschool graduate who fills her days with writing and a multitude of art projects. She has three home business that keep her more than busy – First Fruit Designs, SelfPub Book Covers for ebooks, and Gilded Gears –Victorian jewelry with a twist – which is her take on Steampunk. You can also stop by her Pinterest site to check out her other creative ideas.

Finding Joy in the Journey,
Phyllis

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Phyllis Sather

Proclaiming God’s Faithfulness at:
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