The power of acceptance

One evening, in a small-group meeting, Vijay decided to bare his heart; “I don’t know how to do this.” Tears streamed down his face. “I need to confess something to you. After I tell you though, would you tell me what you feel about me? I’d like to know, even if it’s not positive.” He went on to share his struggle with pornography; a spiritual torment.

The confession finished. Everyone was quiet for a while; lost in thought and feeling. Then, one by one, people told him how they felt about him. “I feel closer to you now than before you talked.” “How could we have made it safer for you to talk about it?” Vijay’s openness tore down their fears of being vulnerable and mended deep places within all of them.

Why is acceptance necessary in order for us to grow and live enriched lives? The Bible teaches that acceptance begins with God: “Accept one another, then, just as Jesus Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God” (Rom. 15:7). God originally designed acceptance as a way of life. As humans, we were to relate to God and to each other with no thought of condemnation, judgment, or criticism. In the beginning, Adam and Eve “were both naked, and they felt no shame” (Gen. 2:25). They were vulnerable but not disconnected. However, when they separated themselves from the life of God by their wayward behaviour, acceptance posed a problem. 

God’s holy nature could not accept our sinfulness, yet God’s loved cared about us. And so God provided a costly solution. He incarnated in the person of Jesus Christ, whose birth we celebrate every Christmas. Jesus, fully God and fully man, and without sin; sacrificed Himself for our evil actions. 

Jesus is our mediator for relationship with God. Because of Him, God graciously accepts and forgives us without condition. Celebrate the coming of Christ by showing acceptance, knowing that good things happen in our life when we feel accepted.