Our Unmet Needs

“This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him. Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory. For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:11-21

The youngster ran out the door to join his friends at the playground. Twenty minutes later he was back. “I thought you went to play with your friends?” his mom asked. He looked up from where he had been scuffing his shoes along the ground. She immediately saw the disappointment on his face. “Honey, what happened?” “Mom, they didn’t choose me to play on their softball teams.”

Disappointments like this one can seem small from an adult’s perspective, but they’re not. They are the very things that help shape our personality and self-image.

“I’m sorry you were not chosen,” his mother said. “But this doesn’t mean you are unworthy of their friendship. Sometimes things happen that hurt us, but always remember you mean a great deal to your dad and me.”

One of the greatest needs of our society is the need to be accepted. All of us want to know we matter to someone else. How we choose to meet this need is critical to our sense of self-worth and to our relationship with God. Jesus Christ holds the greatest amount of acceptance we could ever hope to find. No matter what your life has brought or who has rejected you, He promises love and acceptance when you come to Him.

God said He would meet all our needs, and He has never broken a promise.