Acceptance or Rejection

Acceptance or Rejection

by Olga Hermans

 

When we choose to reject ourselves, we should understand that rejecting ourselves does not change us. It actually multiplies our problems. Have you ever thought why we as humans reject ourselves? Isn’t it the most foolish and thoughtless thing to do? We reject ourselves and then we run after people and beg them more or less to accept us; such contradiction.

Acceptance causes us to face reality and then begin to deal with it. We cannot deal with anything as long as we are refusing to accept it or denying its reality.

Webster’s defines accept as “1. To receive (something offered) willingly 2.a.To consider as usual, proper or right b. To consider as true.”

We have to engage our will to make the right choices. Wouldn’t you say that rejecting ourselves causes death to come into our lives? If I like to apply this definition to self-acceptance, I see that I can choose or not choose to accept myself as I am, but I have a free will and can refuse to do so if I choose.

People who reject themselves do so because they cannot see themselves as proper or right. They only see their flaws and weaknesses, not their beauty and strength. This is a very unbalanced attitude, one that was probably instilled by authority figures in the past who majored on what was weak and wrong rather than on what was strong and right.

The word acceptance from the same dictionary is defined in part as “approval” and “agreement.” If we have problems accepting ourselves as we are, I suggest that we need to get into agreement with God that what He created is good and that includes us.

In Amos 3:3 we read, Do two walk together except they make an appointment and have agreed? To walk with God, we must agree with God. He says He loves us and accepts us; therefore, if we agree with Him, we can no longer hate and reject ourselves.

We need to agree with God that when He created us, He created something good.

Once again let me emphasize that I realize everything we do is not good, but at this point we are discussing ourselves, not our behavior.

Rejection is a mean spirit. You know, satan was rejected by God when pride came all over him. God rejected him out of heaven. The very essence of sin is rejection. Rejection is etched into the cells of the human mind. The disease of the devil has spread to every person born on the earth until He Who was perfect was born of God; Jesus Christ. He wants to make sure that we feel rejected by God; if we feel rejected by God, we reject God isn’t it? Well, that’s his plan. If we feel rejected by God; we want to reject ourselves.

The fact is that everyone on this planet has been forced to experience the painful consequences of what happened in an uncounted eon far from here and long ago.

Maybe you are in a place right now where you feel rejected. You see the things in yourself that need to be changed and it is very difficult for you to think or say, “I accept myself.” You feel that to do so would be to accept all that is wrong with you, but that is not the case.

I personally don’t believe we can even begin the process of change until this issue is settled in our individual lives. I, myself have been dealing with rejection for a very long time. One of the things that I would recommend is to sit in the presence of God and tell Him what is going on. Be honest and open to God. Choose to acknowledge the thoughts that He has for you; He loves you no matter what you do or have done. There is nothing we can do to make God love us any less or anymore; only to receive that He loves us no matter what we do.

By making this choice to accept God for who He is and accept yourself step by step for who you are; it is a wonderful process, really. It is such a blessing to experience a change in yourself that only God could have done. Choose to say: “I accept myself.” There you go! Say it many times a day! Make the choice!
Remember, God loves you!

Source: How to Succeed at Being Yourself by Joyce Meyer