Hey, You with the Fluorescent Orange Hair! – Today’s Youth Devotion

Bible Reading: Hebrews 13:5

God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

CHECK any of these embarrassing situations that have happened to you:

_____ Tried to bleach your hair and it turned fluorescent orange.

_____ Discovered your jeans had a revealing rip up the backside.

_____ Got a red zit on your forehead that looked like a third eye.

_____ Figured out that your socks didn’t match.

_____ Was told your wardrobe was really lame.

_____ Smelled an awful odor nearby, then discovered it was you.

You wouldn’t like walking down a crowded hallway in school in any of those conditions. You would hear whispers and worse. You definitely wouldn’t feel confi­dence oozing out of your pores.

When you wonder whether you are going to feel accepted or not, you feel inse­cure. When you look at yourself and all you see is shortcomings, you start wonder­ing why anyone would ever want to spend time with you.

But you don’t have to feel that way. Why? You are accepted by the one who matters most-Jesus Christ. He takes you just as you are-fluorescent orange hair, red zit, ripped pants, mismatched socks and all He’s promised never to ditch you be­cause he wants to be with you no matter how you feel about yourself.

If Jesus Christ-Creator of the universe-accepts you, what does it matter if no­body else accepts you? You don’t stop needing people. But you do stop needing their acceptance to make you feel okay. If valuing yourself depended on being accepted, Jesus himself and most of the disciples wouldn’t have done very well. They weren’t exactly popular among their peers.

When you realize that Christ accepts you unconditionally, you don’t have to fo­cus on yourself. You can shift your attention to others. Most all of your friends feel insecure, whether they act that way or not. They need someone to help meet their needs by reaching out to them and pointing them to Jesus. Knowing that Christ ac­cepts you cuts you loose from insecurity and lets you be a confident, accepting friend.

REFLECT: How does knowing that Christ accepts you make you more accepting of others?

PRAY: Tell Jesus now how grateful you are that he accepts you completely.