Will you accept this me?

By Anonymous -

Are there any Bachelor or Bachelorette fans out there?  I have to admit it is my guilty pleasure when I do start to watch a season. I find my quick favorites and find myself rooting for them (even if that means NOT ending up with the final rose, because, sometimes, that would NOT be winning for them...).

If you watch the series, you also get quite a "drama-infused" dose of in-house cat-fighting, no matter if it is a house of boys or girls. Generally speaking, when they are not getting along with others, there is always one person who eventually resorts to saying, "I didn't come here to make friends. I came here to find my husband/wife."  That may be true, but it sounds like an excuse since they are really getting a bad rap on their character in general for not "playing nice."

In life, I am often the one that strives "play nice." In high school, I graduated with the senior superlative of "Friendliest," an honor I am very proud of to this day.  I try to prevent conflict (though I have learned to face it head on before it spirals out of control, no matter how uncomfortable it is), and I try to find the best in others. But, sometimes on the flipside of this priority, I find that people's acceptance of me can easily begin to rule me.

Romans 8:31 reads, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Often I forget that my identity as a child of God is more important than keeping others' opinion of me untarnished. If I switch my primary focus from "Love the Lord your God with all [my] heart and with all [my] soul and with all [my] mind" to the secondary focus of "Love [my] neighbor as [myself]," I will quickly lose sight of my purpose as a child of God (Matthew 22:37, 39). Jesus has instructed us to keep these two commandments, and in order, as "all the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments" (Matthew 22:40).

Living at peace with everyone as far as it depends on us (Romans 12:18) is certainly important and characterizes the humble Christian, but it is not our main priority; our priority is to serve God and His kingdom in our thoughts, speech, actions, and attitudes. Many will reject us as a result, but Christ has encouragement for us, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).

Today, as you and I flit from task to task, let us remember to find peace in that we have been given a purpose in "whatever you do" to work "for the Lord rather than for people" (Colossians 3:23).

Written by: Claire McAuliffe

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