Not Ashamed

My daughter is on a good volleyball team. She practiced all summer to make it, and is working hard all season to improve her playing skills.  The team has won quite a few games.  They played well, but lost two of three games in the set last night against one school. (Hey, you can’t win ‘em all.) She came home discouraged, not because of the loss but because her coach had told the team that he was ashamed to send some of them out onto the court.  She said that they had played well, even better than usual, but she was worried that the coach would overwork them at today’s practice because he was upset with them.  Ok….she also thought maybe he was just having a bad day.  I certainly hope so!  Otherwise, the coach shouldn’t be surprised if this discouragement for the team leads to future failures.  For the most part, fortunately, she has had a positive experience emphasizing the team’s support of one another, which is a big reason her team has done well in the past.  She will be alright, and hopefully her coach will be back to normal today.  Aren’t you glad that God doesn’t do that to us?  He is the One Who definitely has the right to lay us low for every failure:  after all, He is truly Perfect, and our failures are many.  But He doesn’t:  you won’t hear “I’m ashamed that you belong to Me.  I don’t even want to send you out there!” He is ashamed of us only if we are ashamed of Him. Luke 9:26 says “For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and [in his] Father's, and of the holy angels.” He forgives us for every failure, scrapes us off the sidewalk, and sets us back on our feet.  He wants us to hold our heads high, so that we can look at Him and see the love in His eyes.  We cannot surprise God. He can handle anything we can mess up.  Our worth is not based on OUR accomplishments, but on HIM, and He is Worthy Who MAKES us worthy. "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:28-31.  God’s Self-Worth is not based on our performance: ours is based on His, and He has already won the whole game! John 16:33 says “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” He is the Winner of all time! I am so glad that He accepted me onto His team, into His family, forever.  He will never cast me out.