{accepted}

Have you ever cried yourself to sleep, holding your pillow in the dark asking God, "why me"?

Our why me questions are as individual as our fingerprints ...

Why didn't I get that promotion?

Why don't my children love me?

Why did you take my loved one?

Why am I battling this illness?

Why doesn't my spouse love me?

Why did that deal on our house fall through?

Why am I battling this addiction?

Why am I not good enough?

Why did my friend betray me?

Why do I have to feel all alone?

Why, why, why?

We can all fill in the blank of our own why, and we all have them at some point or another in our lives.

We live in a fallen world where Satan prowls like a roaring lion {1 Peter 5:8} seeking to devour us. And as we face these why questions, clinging to our pillow in the dark of the night, it certainly can feel like we are going to be devoured.

If you are feeling the weight of "why" today, I encourage you to remember that in God's eyes, you are accepted. You are loved. You are precious. He has loved YOU with an everlasting love. As he died on that cross, YOU were on his mind. He bore that shame and that pain for you. He even knew you would be asking why "You know what I am going to say, even before I say it, Lord" {Psalm 139:4}

In this fallen world you will experience difficulties {John 16:33 The Message}, we will live with difficult people. Loved ones will die. Children will stray. Jobs will fail. Friends will disappoint. We will question our worth. We may feel all alone.

But, God!

God promises us in His Word {the Bible} that "There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother" {Proverbs 18:24}.

When those hard times come and you are holding on to that pillow as the tears fall in the dark of night, hold on to Him. He is your ultimate source of comfort. He is there with you. "I will never leave you nor forsake you" {Hebrews 13:5}

He is your friend who sticks closer than a brother and He has loved you with an everlasting love. You can't run from it. You can't hide from it. You can't get away from it. Even when you forget it and you feel that you are all alone, He is there with you. He is holding you. He is loving you. He is waiting for you. He is waiting for you to turn to Him, to run to Him and to hide in Him.

He loves you.

He cares.

It doesn't matter who you are or what you've done.

Your sins are forgiven, they were buried with him.

No matter what this world is shouting at you or what others do to you or what you think of yourself, He loves you. He cares and you are accepted.

Won't you accept that love today?