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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