Lesson 20- Acceptance

I was laying in bed one night, trying to figure out what was missing. I said to God, " I don't know what it is."

I forgot my exact words to Him, but I was struggling to convey the need I had.

"It's like... I don't want to be judged. I just want to be loved...but there's more to it."

2 minutes later, I kid you not, a word is dropped into my heart.

"That's it! That's the word! That's what I'm looking for!"

Acceptance. I want to be accepted.

God answered my prayer that night and gave me a word I was struggling to comprehend.

I always thought God accepted me, but conditionally. In other words, I thought God was saying, " I accept you, but you have to change. I will accept you if you stop doing that."

No. No. No. I didn't understand. It's a simple sentence:

"I accept you."

"I love you."

God's acceptance is unconditional.

He loves you so much, that in His love, He wants only the best for you. In His love, He wants you to grow, and be the best He created you to be, to live the best life He has planned for you.

Say it to yourself on a daily basis, "God accepts me." Whether did something dodgy that day, God still accepts you. God is not a man that He should lie.

A parent accepts a child, always. A parent may not like what their child does, but the child does not suddenly 'un-become' their child.

Acceptance is complete, God accepts you.

What you do will never disrupt His acceptance and love of you. The acceptance is secure, although fellowship with God might be disturbed. In other words, if I do something that's really messed up, one often feels shame and guilt, and tries to hide from God. Other times, what I do may not be in my best interests, and it may hurt me. If I hardly pray (I really struggle to), it does NOT affect acceptance, I just sadly may not be as close to God as I want to be.

Remember that, God accepts you unconditionally.