Reconciled, to Me?

written by Chris Hartenstein
Welcome back to week three of our quest to understand a biblical view of reconciliation. This week is my favorite because it's the one I struggle with the most; Even though, it yields the most freedom and healing in my heart! It is me reconciling myself to God. Let’s dive in!

Whether it’s our looks, talents, shortcomings, wounds, etc. we all struggle and wrestle with self-acceptance. Our internal struggles beg the question, Am I willing to accept and love who and what I was created to be? Meaning, will I accept what God has created me to be and to do. This seems simple enough but we live in a culture where the last two generations were raised with the lie that “they can be anything they want or do anything they want.” It’s gone so far as to even include gender. Now I am no medical or psychological genius, but I am 100% sure, that ain’t true. At five feet eleven inches tall, I am never going to be an NBA all-star, and no matter how many miles I ride my Trek this year, my hundred and seventy-five pounds will never win the Tour De France. We just cannot be whatever we want to be. The issue with this ideology is that it sets us up for a catastrophic loss of heart. It leads one to think and feel that if they cannot be all that they want; then somehow God, culture, government, church, or the universe has cheated them. But what if we don't truly know what we want? What if someone knew exactly what we were created to be and do? What if that same person knew exactly what we wanted on the deepest level we could ever imagine? I don't know about you, but I would sign up for that in a heartbeat!

The truth is we all are handcrafted, fearfully, and wonderfully made (Psa. 39, Gen 1, 2). There are no accidents in God’s realm and everyone has worth and purpose. But am I willing to accept and live my life according to who and what God has created me to be?  

This is the final type of reconciliation: me reconciling myself to who and what God has created me to be! This is me choosing to stop fighting who I am, how I was made, and begin moving towards that with every decision I make and action I take. I stop fighting for what is already mine and take hold of it!

Why is this so important?

For one, folks wear themselves out trying to figure out who and what they are and really get nowhere. I would do anything to have the right answer and the crazy thing is, I can! All of us can ask our heavenly Father and live life well. Secondly, I cannot love others or God if I don't love who and what He has created me to be. So as we look at part two of the Great Commandment (love your neighbor as yourself), we see that we must be reconciled to ourselves to be reconciled to others. If you reject who you are; you will reject others.  

Maybe I am too simplistic, but this is powerful and life-giving to me. I have a good Dad who knows who and what I am and is willing to empower and enable me to live that out if I chose to. I have to chose to reconcile myself to who and what He has created me to be! When I do that, my deepest, truest desires and wants are met. Not in me but, in Him! This is true freedom and brings true healing. This is what I was created for!

Calibration:
What do you strive to be? Who do you strive to be?  Are they aligned with who and what God says you are?
Who do you say you are? Is that what God says?
What do you love or hate about yourself? What does God say about these things?

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