Acceptance has been on my heart for a while now. The last few years have brought many changes that were out of our control and those changes have forced us to go within ourselves and evaluate many things. I’ve spent years in the self-development world reading books, taking classes and webinars - always wanting that next thing to make me better. Learning about ourselves is always a good thing, don’t get me wrong. The thing is, when we become so focused on what is “wrong” with us, that’s all we see.
What if we just accepted all of who we are? There isn’t one person on this planet that is perfect. And let’s face it we NEVER will be perfect. We are human after all. But we are also Spirit. God in us is perfect. And that’s why, I believe, we’re here to re-learn to love and accept ourselves again from the perspective of Spirit within us.
Comparing ourselves to others makes us feel less than. Thinking the grass is greener on the other side of the fence brings us to a place of false hope. We are here now, in this place and time and the only constant is you. Can you accept where you are? Can you accept your body size and shape? What about your crooked teeth or your big butt? Can you accept that you had a bad day or week? We are all unique in who we are and what we look like and how we feel. That’s ok. It’s the way it’s supposed to be. Trying to be like someone else or do what others are doing only bring on a sense of not being good enough because we can never measure up and be or do it right.
Accept in the Oxford dictionary means “consent to receive”. Giving ourselves consent to receive ourselves as whole and complete sets us free. We’ve all had experiences in life that have hurt us, wounded us and shut us down yet here we are. Still standing. Still moving forward. It’s those experiences that have made us who we are. And it’s those experiences that have taught us how to act, respond, and live our lives. Can we see them as blessings in disguise because without them we wouldn’t be here now? There are parts of us that need healing, yes, but we are not broken and we don’t need fixing.
Accepting ourselves makes it easier to accept what’s going on around us. We may not condone it but you can accept it. We make space to appreciate that everyone is unique and are walking their own path, however that looks. The judgments fall away, criticism comes to a halt and humility takes their place. We realize that we are all here doing the best we can with what we know at this time.
Lay down your need to be perfect. Just BE. Allowing. Noticing. See yourself as Spirit sees you.