If you’re unable to accept yourself, you’re missing out on the joy that comes from contentment. God created you as you are for a specific reason. Life’s bumps and bruises can lead you to believe you have to be someone more or less than you are.
If you are not gifted athletically (or choose another ability), but compare yourself to those that are, you’ll always come up short and feel less than.
Have you ever tried something and felt inadequate? Or maybe someone told you that you didn’t measure up? If you can walk away understanding, “this isn’t for me,” then you have a healthy perspective. If you conclude that you are defective, then you are making it personal and that isn’t helpful.
Are you measuring yourself against the right ruler? God measures you by His original design. Everything else will give you a faulty or inaccurate measurement.
But more than that, you’ll feel miserable because there is no way for you to win. Proverbs 11:1 declar
It’s possible to think you accept yourself when you really don’t. It’s possible to live with the heavy burden of trying to be who you think God wants you to be. But that can be different than who God knows you to be.
Are you living with an uncomfortable tension of always pushing yourself to reach some ever-elusive goal? If so, you’re never going to reach self-acceptance.
Below are 6 questions to help you assess how close your presented self (how others see you) is to your ideal self (how you see you). Answer the first 3 questions to determine your ideal self and the second 3 questions to define how you feel obligated to act to fulfill life’s demands.
- The thing I like most about myself is…
- I’m at my best when I contribute…
- I feel most connected to God when I…
- Others appreciate me for…
- My job requires me to…
- I feel like a fish out of water when I…
Now, compare your answers between all the questions. How consistent (or inconsistent) are you? Bonus question: Who does God say you are?
Imagine what it will feel like if your ideal self and God’s ideal for you are the same. That’s self-acceptance.
Is self-acceptance clear to you? Are you amazed by God’s goodness that He created us to enjoy Him and enjoy who He made you to be? If not, what seems to be hindering your understanding?
Image by Janine Bolon from Pixabay
