Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Wolf in Sheep's Clothing (11/21/13)
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TITLE: The deceiving mirror | Previous Challenge Entry
By Maretha Retief
11/28/13 -
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In which mirror do you look to get a picture of yourself? Do you look into the mirror of society that tells you what you should do to be acceptable? Do you look into the mirror of people who tell you who you are? Do you look into the mirror of your performance, your loved ones or maybe you have looked into the mirror of the Bible to find your acceptance and purpose in life.
It is the one thing that everyone desires. We determine our value and meaning in life from whether we are accepted and approved of. Without being accepted and approved by our fellow human beings, we feel worthless and lost. Why is that?
The world makes us believe that we cannot exist without its approval of us. If we do not get the “okay” from other people and if we do not meet their expectations of us, we are failures. Society makes us believe that if we meet certain standards we are acceptable; we are important when we are in a certain position at work, drive an expensive car, live in a big house in a high-class area. When we have that perfect picture painted in our lives, then we are acceptable and people approve of us.
Why is it that we feel that we need to be acceptable and approved of before we can be happy? Why do we feel like a failure when people are not happy with the way we are or how we do things? The picture created in our minds is that when we keep people happy, when we live up to the world’s expectations, we will be happy—a perception that the world’s acceptance will bring us true joy and purpose in life.
Do you know this acceptance? It brings a feeling of fulfilment that lasts for a moment. It makes one feel as if you have found your purpose in life, only to leave you feeling empty at the end of the day. It makes you feel important and loved, only to realise that you are the loneliest person in the world. It is an acceptance that you have the one day, but that is gone the next and you have to earn it all over again. It makes you believe in a beautiful picture of yourself, only to discover it is covered with a dusty cloth.
When you find acceptance through people, performance or circumstances, ask this one question when you are by yourself: “What do I feel on the inside?” Do you have peace or a feeling that you cannot slack down for fear of losing what you have? Such acceptance is a wolf in sheep’s clothing—it creates a feeling of truth and safety, but behind the appearance there is destruction looming.
If you want to reveal the true sheep, ask yourself this: “What does God see when He looks at me?” The true answer: “Jesus.” And that is where true acceptance lies.
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