Tag: acceptance

Our Father’s World

Posted on by pastorunity

You are not just in God’s world; you are God’s world.

Photo by Ketut Subiyanto on Pexels.com

When things were no longer working out living in my parent’s home, my Grandparents decided to drive from New Jersey to Boston, pick me up, move me to Florida, and raise me as their own. At that point in my life, self-esteem was not even a blip on the radar of my life; thus, this twelve-year-old boy never made eye contact with anyone, and my head remained down, even while walking. While others around me perceived such behavior as rude, my Grandmother saw through the outward appearances; knowing my story, she attributed my behavior to years of being emotionally broken down. From teachers to police officers and guidance counselors to Cub Scout leaders, I had been rejected for years, with some adult influences in my life even prophesying about my worthless future. The result? I believed it all; I was no good, a bad seed, a worthless piece of garbage that no one wanted, and one that would never amount to anything good.

One day that all changed. After my Grandmother and I had passed a few cheerful walkers on the golf cart trail, people I never looked up to greet; she had enough. Her brisk walk came to an abrupt halt, I bumped into her backside, and she wrapped her hands around my face, lifted my head to make eye contact, and shared her heart with words new to my ears. “Tom,” she started, with tears in her eyes, “I love you. Your Grandfather and I uprooted our entire lives for you, left our home, and traveled far because we care about you. No matter what you have been told in the past, it is time for you to hear the truth; you are special and are loved”. With that, her voice turned stern, and she admonished me with, “So, knowing you are special, pick your head up, put your chest out, and walk with pride, you are loved!”. While I don’t think her words had the full effect that day, I know it was the turning point that inspired me on my journey of worth.

Nine years later, at the age of 21, I sat in the back row of a church, searching for something missing in my life. To this day, I don’t remember the sermon or the songs, but the message was clear, there was a God, and He loved me. Yet, as I surveyed my life, full of sin and rebellion, I wrestled to believe that God could truly love someone like me, yet, when the sermon was over, I made my way down to the altar, hoping it could be true. That 30-40-foot journey passed as in slow motion as I cried out to God, “My father left me, my mom didn’t want me, inside I am angry, hurting, and lonely; I am falling apart, could you God, love someone like me.” I was interrupted, when, like my Grandmother years before, God stopped me abruptly and had some words of His own. Speaking to my heart, He said something like, “I love you. I uprooted my entire life, left my home, and traveled far because I care about you. No matter what you have been told in the past, it is time for you to hear the truth; you are special and are loved”. Upon my arrival at the altar, my tears of pain turned to tears of praise as I celebrated a Father that loved, adopted, and promised never to leave me; I have been enjoying that love ever since. Everything changes when we realize that we don’t just live in God’s world; we are His world.

Scripture: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you” -Jeremiah 1:5a, ESV

Scripture: “Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.” -Luke 12:7b, ESV

Scripture: “You formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” -Psalm 139:13, ESV

Scripture: “Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you” -Isaiah 43:4a, ESV

Scripture: “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.” -Zephaniah 3:17

Question: When was the last time you thought about the love that God has for you? Have you ever surrendered to that love by actively pursuing Christ in your life? The last question, I promise, will you be willing to read each of the above scripture and talk to God about how they make you feel today?

Prayer: Father, there are times that I become so overwhelmed with the voices around me, even those from within, that I start to believe them. Times when I feel my best days are behind me, that I am alone, unloved, and forgotten. Please place your loving arms around me, reminding me of your love. May the message of what you did in demonstrating your love toward me never get old but encourage my heart every moment of every day. Thank you that I don’t just live in your world, but am your world, undeserving, but grateful. Thank you for changing me through your love. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.

People are Strange

Posted on by pastorunity

God creates all in His image; therefore, all are worthy of our respect and love.

In 1967, after releasing the album that thrusted them into the limelight, The Doors frontman, Jim Morrison, and the guitarist, Robby Krieger, went on a hike at Robby’s request. The band had started to see Jim falling apart and struggling with depression, so Robby thought a walk and talk would cheer him up. Their trip ended at Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles, and as they gazed at the sunset, Jim penned the words to their next popular song, People are Strange. On a piece of paper he let the words from his heart flow:

People are strange 
When you're a stranger
Faces look ugly 
When you're alone

Women seem wicked
When you're unwanted
Streets are uneven 
When you're down

When you're strange
Faces come out of the rain
When You're strange
No one remembers your name
When you're strange

People are Strange was a song about alienation, something that resonated with many people. It became the number one song in Canada and reached number 12 on the US Billboard top 100 list. Jim Morrison felt that he was looked down upon by those around him because he was different and therefore felt isolated, misunderstood, and alone. Not much has changed in our culture; we still tend to poke fun of, insult, ostracize and ridicule those that do not fit into our conformability mold. 

I recently saw a picture of a tattooed and pierced young man shared on social media with comments like, “this is what Hellbound looks like,” “no wonder our country is going down,” “caption this,” and “his nose looks like a pig I saw on the farm.” Many people laughed and made fun of someone they didn’t even know, just based on his appearance without considering his story. My heart hurt to see such misguided behavior because I do know part of his story.

According to Genesis 1:27, all of us were created in God’s image and likeness; therefore, all deserve our respect and love. What do I see when I look at someone being passed around on Facebook as a target for the brunt of jokes? I see a man designed and created by God, and that has a need to be accepted and approved by God, a message that Christians have been charged to bring, in love and through grace, to all people. I wonder what God thinks when instead of reaching out in love to this man, we drive him far away from the cross through our ridicule. I wonder what God thinks when we take someone that He made and use them to elicit a laugh to satisfy our insecurities? 

The Apostle Paul said to, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” (Eph. 4:29, ESV).

At the age of 27, Jim Morrison was found in a bathtub dead. Apparently, his heart couldn’t take the massive amounts of heroin that flowed through his veins. As I have with many others, I have often wondered if there would have been people around him to share the love above him if things would have ended differently for Jim. Looking at the picture above, perhaps it would do us all well to recognize that we all have some influence and accountability over others’ direction. Even Cain was charged by God to be his brother’s keeper (Gen. 4:8-10), how can we expect God to hold us to a lesser standard than a standard of love?

Scripture: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God because God is love.” -I John 4:7-8, ESV

Question: Am I willing to start viewing people through the lens of God’s love?

Prayer: Father, I struggle when I see people that are so much unlike me, it is difficult to not ridicule or judge, especially when their appearance is so extreme. Please help me to see everyone the way you do. I don’t want to be another reason someone has for not falling in love with you. Please give me the spiritual eyes to see your creation and the strength to reach out in Christian love to offer acceptance and approval through your Son. Thank you for loving me, even though I was not worthy and remain far from perfect. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Eyes of Love

Posted on by pastorunity

Very rarely does love reach down, grab you, and shake you to the core.

Photo by Viktoria Shalimova on Pexels.com

Very rarely does love reach down, grab you, and shake you to the core. When those moments come, we must be willing to recognize and embrace them. Else we risk standing on the other side of love carrying bags of regret wondering, “what if.” 

Growing up, I had heard of the love that God had for us all; that He sent His Only Son to die and rise for us.  I’d driven by the church buildings constructed to celebrate that love and changed the channels when television evangelists asked for more money to spread that love. But I had never had that life-changing, earth-shattering love from heaven overwhelm me like others. The truth is that I had too many excuses for God’s love to take the next exit; as if my life were that dilapidated town unworthy of a tourist visit or even a pitstop. Those excuses quickly turned into the stones I used to construct a wall that would hinder anyone from ever getting close enough to love me.

Apparently, I had left some cracks in that wall because someone snuck in, unannounced, unplanned for, and unexpected, yet there she stood, my heart in her hand, and there it remains almost thirty years later. It was this same girl that introduced me to God and His love.

Now let me do something that should not be done in writing, breaking chronological order. But we will be back; let’s just take a step away to another story before we wrap things up.

There stood Laurie and me in a pet store in Massachusetts, we were about to start our lives together, and I felt it necessary to buy a dog. Laurie on the other hand thought it a bad idea and had so many reasons or excuses why dog ownership shouldn’t happen. The apartment we were in did not permit pets, we were in the military and they could station us somewhere that may not allow animals, we couldn’t afford anything with four legs and breathing, and the list of excuses went on and on. Sure, they were valid and reasonable, yet I was determined. So, while Laurie was on the other side of the store, I quietly asked the manager to let me hold the little Yorkshire Terrier that Laurie had been eyeing. Dog in hand, I walked up behind Laurie, tapped her on the shoulder, and when she turned around, I placed that dog in her arms. As soon as she looked into that dogs’ eyes, Laurie let out a sigh, and an hour later, we went home with Adidas and a monthly dog payment! What happened to all of the excuses? They went away when Laurie looked into the eyes of love.

That pet store experience is the best way to describe what happened to me and my relationship with God. I had excuses, and they were valid and reasonable; I was damaged goods, unwanted, unworthy, rebellious; an angry young man that was unlovable. And there I sat in my unlovable misery in the back row of a church one Sunday, just to satisfy Laurie, waiting for the final “amen” so I could slip out and get back home. And then it happened. I don’t remember the sermon or song selection; I just remember the preacher presenting Christ in such a way that all I could do is look into the eyes of love. Every excuse went out the window when I considered how much Jesus Christ loved me.

Friend, perhaps you can relate to this story in that you have never allowed the love of God to overtake you because your past flaws have overwhelmed you. Maybe you have listened to the voices around you so long that you have believed yourself to be unlovable. Or, perhaps you have allowed the love of God into your life, but you struggle with believing that He forgives you, cares about you, or still wants to be with you. Why not take some time tonight to look into the Eyes of Love.

Scripture: “Jesus looked at him and loved him” -Mark 10:21 NIV

Question: Have you cleared a path for love to enter your life, or have you constructed a wall designed to keep it out?

Prayer: Father, please help me remember that your eyes of love never lose focus, that you long for me to gaze into your eyes of love and surrender. Help me understand that your love does not come with strings, nor do you love a future better version of me; you just love. May I open the door to that love into my life and allow it to disrupt and change everything. Thank you for loving me, and thank you for having patience with me. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray, amen.