Listen to Jennifer from You Are My Girls share her answer to “In God’s Heart I Am…?” in this video.

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It’s easy for me to believe God loves me. I can understand He has forgiven me. But making the leap to believing He has truly accepted me is another story.

Perhaps that’s because we experience so little true acceptance with each other. The preacher talks about grace but gives us a list of rules to follow. Friends promise to always be there for us, only to turn their backs when we don’t meet their expectations. Families boast of unconditional love but withdraw it when we choose a different path. So like Adam and Eve in the Garden, we hide from ourselves, each other, and God.

In Beyond the Masquerade: Unveiling the Authentic You, Dr. Julianna Slattery says, “Facing others without covering my psychological blemishes is actually more terrifying than going out into the world without a shower or makeup. Far more offensive than body odor are my fears, malicious thoughts, insecurities, shame, and pride.”

While we strive to make ourselves acceptable, we also secretly long for someone to catch a glimpse of our true selves and exclaim, “You can stop hiding now—I really do love you just as you are!”

Yet there is someone who speaks this way to our hearts every day. When Christ went to the cross, He made it possible for us to stop hiding. All of our sin, shame, and guilt have been erased. The Lord constantly looks at us with eyes of love. His scars bring healing and even beauty to our own.

Will there be times when the Lord still reveals areas in our lives that need to change? Yes, of course. But His conviction is about what we do, not about who we are. Real friends tell you when you have something in your teeth. They love you enough to speak the truth, and Jesus is our most faithful friend of all. He sees deep within our hearts and tells us when something is stuck there that doesn’t belong. His correction always comes from a place of grace and not condemnation.

When we open our hearts and let God speak to us, we discover we’re truly known and loved in a way we never thought possible. The acceptance we long for is already ours if only we’ll dare to embrace it.

Hey you,

the one wondering if you’re enough,

if you’d be loved if anyone really knew you—

turn your heart this way for a moment,

then lean in and listen close…

Acceptance?

You’ve got it.

You don’t have to look any further

than the hands of the One who made you,

the heart of the One who loves you.

You’re welcomed, held,

cherished just as you are

and encouraged to grow

into all you’ll become.

So hold your heart and head high;

look the world in the eyes and say…

“I’m His. I’m loved.

I’m already accepted today.”

–excerpt from God’s Heart for You, Embracing Your True Worth as a Woman by Holley Gerth {available as a book or ebook}

Holley Gerth, www.InGodsHeart.com