Acceptance, Like It Or Not

Time to get serious, and by serious I mean tackling probably one of the most challenging aspects any human will ever face and that’s the continuous desire to be accepted and loved by everyone around us. From our very first steps trying to impress mommy and daddy right until the end trying to impress our family and friends with a bounty of success, a legacy should I call it, after we have passed on to our next life.

One could write an entire book about how we all seek acceptance and how it has become a pivotal point in our lives, I surely can. Fact is, as imperfect humans, we live as people-pleasers, everything we do is to gain some sort of approval from one another. I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with it, human gratification is definitely a confidence booster and compliments can definitely brighten up any day. The problem comes in when we start changing, settling and living a false life to try and fit in. Our modern day world thrives on approval, appreciation and acceptance (The AAA generation) with the likes of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Keek you name it, we are all left wide open to the sting of not receiving enough likes, retweets, followers, comments etc. you may deny it but you always going to wonder why you lost those 5 followers in last 15 minutes or why that photo you just uploaded only got one like and surprise, surprise, it was from your mom...again. As humans our good enough will never be good enough. That’s why we continue to seek more and more from other people. But why put you happiness in others? Yes our destiny is in other people and to make their lives a better place to live in but don’t be dismayed if the other shoe drops. You will always be able to determine whether the effects will make or break your spirit, it can crush you or make you try even harder.

With acceptance comes the negative connotation rejection, there are always going to be people and situations in life that are going to continue to hack at your spirit like a lumber jack. When we invest all our time into trying to gain acceptance from others that’s when our heart is going to be left torn. We always want what we can’t get, whether it be that promotion which was already assigned to someone else, that awesome out of this world project your colleague has been briefed to do, that one guy or girl you know will be perfect for you but somehow due to this twisted world we live in already have those exact same feelings... but for someone else. How about those friends you have, yes those ones you try to be extra funny in front of super fun and carefree, the same ones that go out together over the weekend and somehow manage to lose your number due to a mutant attack on the human race. What about your parents? Okay I can’t find anything wrong there, my parents have always loved and supported who I am, yes my true self... no matter how many hours I’ve spent in front of my mirror pulling the UGLIEST faces ever known to mankind (it’s fun okay, and my sister always seems to get a kick out of it) but I know how some parents can be, pressurizing their kids into being someone they want them to be rather than just letting them be. And one of the worst forms of rejection is from the ones you love, when they simply just stop loving you, even though you have loved them and will love them day in and day out for a very long time maybe even for the rest of your life.

When rejection strikes, and sometimes it strikes like an iron fist, many people tend to seek acceptance in the darkest of places, consumed by sin which is hidden under glow sticks of short-lived love and happiness. But there is someone who accepts you no matter who you are, what you've done or what you are going to do. 

In the book of Jeremiah God tells us that he knew us and our purpose before we were even born: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5. 

God’s love is an unconditional one; He knows the difference between your fake smile and your real one, the difference between your online life and your everyday life. He knows when you are being truthful or when you trying to impress. He knows you a sinner that’s why he sent His Son to die on the cross for our sins, and the moment we accept God into our lives is when we grow and become more like Him, separating ourselves from sin. When we become God-pleasers our attention and attitude turns to Him and guess what, people start to recognise the change in you and they welcome it. I have received more heart warming messages from people in the last couple of months than I have in my entire life, I want to inspire rather than impress, I want to induce change rather than change and to set an example rather than being an example. Be the change you want to see in the world, evil with never prevail and God will never fail!