The longing to be accepted and loved is innate in every human being. And no wonder, we were fashioned by the Holy Trinity who exist in perfect love and acceptance.
The sense of being loved and accepted creates a joy and energy within the human heart that is needed for wellbeing and momentum in life. Broken relationship with God, others, self-rejection, the betrayal by friends, and negative interaction with family or leaders, easily creates a dark inner environment that shadows our sense of being loved and accepted. These tear the very fiber of our soul from living radiantly and joyfully in the intimate knowledge of being a cherished human being. And so the soul looks for various means to satisfy this deep longing, often in unhealthy places.
God wants each one of us to experience the wellbeing of His intimate and unending love and acceptance of us for a life that flourishes with health. Ephesians 1:6 says that it is His magnificent delight to honor us with His favor and blessings in the Beloved. “He lovingly invites us to come to Him always, no matter what our past has been…no matter the current mistakes we make. In the Beloved we are fully accepted and received with love.”*
Abba Father has provided the means for us in Christ to move forward with life, energy, and wellbeing in our soul. Jesus fills, renews, and restores every broken place within us with His perfect love and acceptance. He energizes our spirit and soul for the life we are meant to live. People may fail (including us) but He does not. His face is turned towards us in love…it is turned toward you.
Three keys to living a life energized by love and acceptance:
- Receive Jesus’ loving thoughts about you while refusing another’s faulty words or behavior towards you — do not internalize others’ behavior as the truth by which you think and live
- Practice loving others — let Jesus’ love flow through you to others; it is the power that overcomes fear and covers over a multitude of sins with forgiveness
- Practice accepting others — accepting others in spite of differences releases a life flow of heavenly energy
Take time today to identify any thought pattern that makes you feel unaccepted. Bring it to the Father who will show you His truth. Let Him root your heart deeply in His love and wrap you warmly in the embrace of His accepting arms. Then go and share His love and acceptance with someone else.
*excerpt from The Believer’s Identity Devotional Handbook by J. Nicole Williamson
