Not everyone has great parents. Not everyone has a family history they are
proud of. If that’s you, know this: God loves you no matter who your
parents are. They might be criminals. They might be people you aren’t proud
of and never want to be like. But if you’ve put your trust in Jesus, you
have been adopted into God’s family. You are God’s child. No matter who
your ancestors are or what they have done, you don’t have to be like them.
If you know Jesus, you are set apart. You are different. You can look to
Jesus and follow Him instead. Through His death and resurrection, He has
made you new and enfolded you into His family. And His Holy Spirit lives in
you, showing you God’s love, guiding you in His good ways, and empowering
you to turn away from sin and live in love. You are more than the sum of
your parents’ genetics. You are more than your family history. You are
God’s child. It doesn’t matter who people expect you to be or what you may
have always imagined you would be. The truest thing about you is that you
are God’s child. You can take your direction from Him. You are free to live
your life how He calls you to and not worry about the expectations of
others. This may take some hard work, but you can rely on Jesus and lean on
the people He has put around you to help you discern God’s guidance and let
go of unhelpful expectations. When you realize that you are God’s child,
you can stop worrying about living this way or that. You can stop stressing
about not doing enough or not accomplishing the same things as your parents
or siblings or others. You can start looking at yourself through His eyes
instead. God created you. He made every unique part of you. He knows you.
You are His child, and you are precious to Him. The Maker of the universe
formed you in your mother’s womb, and He has always had His eyes on you. He
made you for a reason. No matter who your parents or ancestors are, you are
God’s child. • Bethany Acker • While our family is an important part of who
we are, it’s not all we are. When you get stressed about the expectations
of others, how could it be freeing to remember that you are God’s child?
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called
children of God! And that is what we are! 1 John 3:1a (NIV)
Read Verses:
Ps.139.13-Ps.139.18|Eph.5.1-Eph.5.2|1Pet.1.13-1Pet.1.25|1John.3.1
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