Nowadays, people want to define their own right and wrong and expect others to accept them. That is a formula for frustration not acceptance!
to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. Ephesians 6:1
Making our own standard of right and wrong may make us feel powerful temporarily, but it will not bring us the acceptance and satisfaction that we are craving for. As a matter of fact, it can do the opposite. If everyone has their own version of what is good and bad, we are all on shaky ground, and no one is receiving the true acceptance that they are longing for. So how do seek true acceptance!?
First and foremost, we need to remember that our ultimate acceptance comes from Jesus who bought true acceptance for us through His blood. We were powerless to make things right with a holy God, but Jesus redeemed us and brought us to the Father by His blood. We accept God’s definition of right and wrong. He is the standard. Therefore, we are accepted not based on what we are capable of doing but based on our relationship with our Savior. Praise God!
Second, in this world we will be faced with rejection. Not everyone will accept or like us, and we need to learn to navigate through it with God’s help. As a matter of fact, the more we represent Christ, the more we will be faced with opposition and rejection. The Holy Spirit will continue to comfort and encourage us when those rejections come. The Lord also blesses us with a few key individuals who can help us in life. This is one of the areas that the world struggles with. They expect others to accept them regardless of what they believe and the choices they make. And when that doesn’t happen, they are incapable of handling rejection well.
Third, people pleasing will bring about temporary acceptance from people, but it is a trap that will keep us in bondage. Some Christians out of their insecurities attempt to please others in order to gain acceptance. What they find is that the acceptance is temporary. Sooner or later, there will be a new demand put on them that they need to acquiesce. Sadly, in the process, people feel their identity in Christ is shaken, and they begin to lose their footing. While they are concerned about fitting in, they don’t realize how much they lose spiritual ground in the process. Sometimes acceptance can take a spiritual clothing. Christian Leaders may expect to be imitated like Paul, which can become oppressive and demanding. If we are pressured to accept others or demand others to accept us, that is not true acceptance. It is merely conformance to someone else’s expectations.
Do you feel accepted by God? Do you feel accepted by others? Are you in an environment that you are pressured to conform in order to receive acceptance?
The good news is that our acceptance is not held hostage by a man or a woman. It all belongs to the Lord. This is what I love about God. The gospel is about each person making their decision to come to Jesus and receive His acceptance. It not a group effort and neither does it need a human meditator. God’s acceptance of an individual was not an ordinary cultural message. Most people in Jesus’ day did not have a choice in most matters of life, and they had to go along with what was prescribed to them including their faith/religion. However, Jesus came to change that. He came to make this relationship as personal as possible. This doesn’t meant that we can live our lives apart from people’s input, discipleship, or encouragement. It does mean that ultimately we are responsible for this relationship, and His acceptance is available to every one of us. We don’t have to live in poverty of acceptance!
Image by Niek Verlaan from Pixabay