“Jesus treated us much better than we deserve. He made us acceptable to God and gave us the hope of eternal life.”

Titus 3:7 (CEV)

Rejection is the deepest hurt in life. Whether it’s from a parent, spouse, teacher, or friend, rejection cuts to the core. To avoid it, we spend much of life chasing acceptance—trying to please parents, peers, neighbors, and even people we don’t like.

We buy things we don’t need with money we don’t have to impress people we don’t even know. This drive to be accepted influences our choices: the clothes we wear, the careers we pursue, and the lives we live.

Think back to childhood. How many times did you do something silly or foolish just to be accepted by the crowd? This desire for approval doesn’t fade with age—it only becomes more sophisticated. 

Yet there’s a myth about the relationship between perfection and acceptance: If I can be perfect, then everyone will accept me. But this just isn’t true.

When it comes to perfection and acceptance, there are three things that absolutely are true: One, no one believes you’re perfect. Two, you’ll never be perfect. Three, even if you were perfect, not everyone would accept you; even Jesus—who was perfect—was despised and rejected.

There is nothing you can do that will make everyone accept you. But we still want to be accepted, we want to be loved, and we want people to see our value.

And there’s good news: You can find that acceptance in God through Jesus.

God settled the issue long ago: “He saved us because of his mercy, and not because of any good things that we have done. God washed us by the power of the Holy Spirit. He gave us new birth and a fresh beginning. God sent Jesus Christ our Savior to give us his Spirit. Jesus treated us much better than we deserve. He made us acceptable to God and gave us the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:5–7 CEV).

If you’ve invited Jesus into your life, God sees you as acceptable, no matter what you’ve done. It’s not because of your achievements, but because of his grace.

1 Peter 2:9 reminds us, “But you are God’s chosen and special people” (CEV). That’s a life-changing truth!

God chose you to live with him forever. That’s where your value comes from—not from others’ approval. There are 8 billion people on earth; it’s okay if a few people don’t like you.

Let this truth free you: God not only loves you, but he likes you, too. If he knows all your flaws and still accepts you, why chase the approval of others? Psalm 27:10 says, “Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me” (NIV).