How shall two walk together?

"Daddy, they said I am beautiful today." It was Cayla's first response to me after her first day back at school. As I mentioned last week, she got her ears pierced, and apparently the boys likey-likey. But the breaking of a father's heart in watching his little girl worry about what the boys think of her appearance is overwhelming sometimes. There was an instance earlier in the year where a new girl came to Cayla's class and started getting all the attention. Cayla wanted to know if she could wear a headband so she would be prettier and get the boys attention back. The odd thing is, she is a beautiful little girl that is well loved and well cared for by her family. We tell her all the time how great a person she is, how beautiful, creative, and energetic she is. And yet, she sees herself through the eyes of her peers. Normal? Certainly. Healthy? Probably not. But don't we do the same thing? Every one of us has a Father who loves us, cares well for us, tells us of our great attributes and loves us inspite of our bad ones. We have a Father who sees in us so much more than I see in my daughter, and yet, I base my self image and worth on my own impression of other's view of me, or my distorted view of myself. This week I am dwelling on my Father's view of me. I am focusing on allowing Him to define me. I will not allow others to define me. It's not just a healthy thing for my little girl, it's paramount for my own health. But there's more to it than that. My dear friend, Claude Townsend, used to ask me how well I accepted myself. Dr. Townsend had a slight speech impediment AND a Mississippi accent, so it is very distinct in my memory. He'd say, "On a scale of 1 - 100, how well do you accept yourself?" I would answer with a high number, saying, "Oh, on the average, probably 80% of the time." He would respond with, "That's good. How much does God accept you?" Of course, the answer is 100%, now that I am His child. Then Claude would say something very profound. He would pause and then say, "If God accepts you 100%, why don't you? Amos 3:3 says, 'Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?' IF we are going to walk with God, don't you think we need to agree with Him and see things His way?" So true were his words nearly a decade ago that they have stuck with me to this day. How can we walk with God if we don't agree to walk with Him? And how can we agree to walk with Him if we don't see things His way? The agreement to make this journey with God is an agreement to see things His way. And that goes for how we see ourselves. Let me ask you a question. How well do you accept yourself? Today rest in the FACT that God accepts you 100%. When He looks at you, He sees His Son in whom He's well pleased. Don't worry about how others see you. Find yourself in Christ today and be at peace.