Acceptance

 Acceptance: The action or process of being received as adequate or suitable, typically to be admitted into a group.

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “You have to love yourself before you can truly love others”, and if you’re like me when I first heard this I had two thoughts. One, I can love others without loving myself. I'm doing it right now. My second thought was, how am I supposed to love myself when I’m not good enough? 

At some point, we have to accept who we are, whose we are and that the events in our lives created the person we see in the mirror each day. The best place to start learning how to love yourself and others are the Bible which is the key to unlocking the lock that holds the chains that keep us from being the best possible version of ourselves that God created us to be. After you have the key, you need to use it to unlock the lock of acceptance so the chains can be loosened and unraveled, essentially setting you free. God knows I’ve always struggled with feeling like I was good enough, but He has been working on me. 

Three years ago, I was in the best shape of my life. I looked good and I felt good. I was eating healthy, working out, and had plenty of energy. I was strong, both physically and mentally. I was proud of my hard work and dedication to my overall health. Then out of nowhere, or at least it seemed that way; I hurt my back. I couldn’t move without being in severe pain. I was out of work for a week, and once I returned I wasn’t able to do much. I shuffled to my room and desk and sat all day. I returned home, shuffled to my recliner, and was in constant pain. The doctors couldn’t figure out what I did, and a procedure was decided. During that time, which was four months, I started gaining weight and my mental health started to decline. My newfound self-confidence flew out the window as I watched my body slowly transform back into the person I worked so hard to change.

Over the past year, God has opened my eyes to my vanity and made me realize I need to accept who I see in the mirror, no matter my appearance. I need to love the person in the mirror no matter my weight, the color of my hair, or the circles under my eyes. Until I can accept the road I’m on and the person in the mirror I can’t live out my purpose for God. 

Within the last few months, God has shown me that I was becoming too prideful and turning into someone He didn’t want me to be. I wasn’t trusting Him like I should nor was I in His word like I should have been. My back being hurt was the second blow of three that would happen in two years. It caused me to go into a dark place and within the last year, I’ve been able to take steps with the help of God, my husband, and friends to step into the light.

The steps I’ve taken have been shaky, and scary, and I’ve stumbled more than once. God has broken me and humbled me, but at the same time, God is building me into the person he wants me to be. I’ve learned that God doesn’t see the flaws that seem to scream at me consistently throughout the day. He sees my heart. I’ve had to accept that God loves me no matter how I look, act, or feel. Once I accepted that I am enough, I am chosen, and I am loved; the chains started to unravel and I have never felt more free to just be me. Three steps you can take to help you accept yourself are: 

1. Pray for God to reveal His love to you.

2. Read your Bible.

3. Obey God…He won’t steer you wrong.

One day you will look back and see His unfailing love for you. REMEMBER the key to unlocking how to love yourself is the Bible. There you will find, just as I have found, how much you are loved. You have to accept where you are and that God loves you right where you are. Even if you don’t fully believe it, ask God to help you in your unbelief and keep taking those little steps forward. God will guide you the entire way.

 “You yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 2:5