Through God, we’ve moved ‘from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted’. But sometimes we struggle to believe that. Dictionary definitions for ‘accept’ include: 1) to receive willingly; 2) to view as right; 3) to agree with. Firstly, acceptance involves a decision. We can choose to accept ourselves or not; it’s up to us. Sometimes it might be harder to accept ourselves because of things we’ve done, or things that have been done to us. But we still have the choice. Secondly, when something is acceptable, it’s viewed as being ‘right’. We tend to reject ourselves because we see only what’s wrong with us, and gloss over what’s right. Often we have this attitude because other people have focused on our weaknesses instead of our strengths, and we still carry their opinions with us. Our minds often remember negative things said to us, and disregard the positives. If we’re struggling with that, we need to start training our minds to focus on the positive things about ourselves. Thirdly, the word ‘accept’ means ‘to agree with’. If we’re having a problem accepting ourselves, we need to get into agreement with God’s Word. He says we’re ‘righteous’, so let’s start saying the same thing over ourselves (see 2 Corinthians 5:21). It can take a while to sink in, but over time it will take root within us and help us accept ourselves. The Bible says, ‘Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?’ (Amos 3:3 NIV). To walk with God we must agree with Him. He says He loves us and accepts us ‘in Christ’, so we should start agreeing with Him and stop putting ourselves down. When God made us, He said, ‘It was very good’ and He hasn’t changed His mind.

What Now?

Are you struggling to believe you’re accepted? Write out some Bible verses that show you how God thinks about you. Read them every morning to remind yourself.