“Now to him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (Ephesians 3:20 – King James Version) My genuine hope and primary purpose for the Ephesians 3:20 Faith Encouragement and Empowerment Blog is to assist all people of faith, regardless of your prism of experience, to grow spiritually toward unconditional self-acceptance and develop personally acquiring progressive integrity of belief and lifestyle. I pray you will discover your unique purpose in life. I further pray love, joy, peace, happiness and unreserved self-acceptance will be your constant companions. Practically speaking, this blog will help you see the proverbial glass in life as always half full rather than half empty. I desire you become an eternal optimist who truly believes that Almighty God can do anything that you ask or imagine.

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Self-acceptance is the essence of self-love


Self-acceptance is the essence of self-love


Self-acceptance is the essence of self-love.  Erroneously, we believe self-love only follow years of self-improvement.  That fallacy imprisons many people to the painstaking tasks of spending exorbitant amounts of money and time on clothing, cosmetics, cars, social affiliations, education, and credentials.  Somehow, these acquisitions allow us to love ourselves.  Moreover, they then compel others to love us as those external things qualify us to receive love.  On the contrary, self-love begins with an unequivocal acceptance of one’s self.

Acceptance requires an honest appraisal of one’s character: good and bad, strengths and weaknesses, light and darkness.  These tensions exist within all of us.  As we grow into the unique people whom our Creator made us, we learn to build upon our assets and neutralize our liabilities.  We further discover ways of celebrating all of who we are.  We embrace our past without regret, guilt or resentment.  Sometimes, looking backward more clearly directs us toward our goals and dreams.  Also, whereas the past may contain the origins of many of our present challenges, it ironically reveals clues for success in overcoming them.  When we straightforwardly accept our past, we find tremendous healing and strength.  We additionally find liberty to resist dishonesty and pretension.  Try as hard as we may, we cannot make ourselves into someone we are not.  Accordingly, self-acceptance is the only viable option to enjoying any blessings of a good and purposeful life.

As we travel through valleys of doubt, fear and faithlessness, the temptation to escape the process of self-analysis easily presents itself.  Refusing to embrace the necessity of self-evaluation is an extremely expensive mistake.  Ultimately, our failure to accept all aspects of ourselves leads us to disliking and perhaps even hating ourselves.  As you engage the process of self-analysis, you discover previously undisclosed parts of your character. Underlying self-improvement is the goal of fixing the broken, defected, worthless, and useless parts of ourselves.  After awhile, campaigns of self-improvement result in self-contempt if not self-hatred.  A meaningful remedy is daily spiritual discipline of looking in a mirror and developing an acceptance and a love for the person whose reflection you see.

Self-acceptance, which genuinely yields self-love, has several significant characteristics.  People who accept and love themselves possess patience and integrity, enjoy solitude and value their uniqueness as children of God.  Love and acceptance of self emerge in time.  Those vital characteristics rarely develop overnight.  They are the produce of seeds of faith in God and belief in self. 

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