God accepts you “in Christ,” so accept yourself

You can’t deal with anything effectively until you first accept it for what it is—including yourself! Dictionary definitions for accept include: (1) to receive willingly; (2) to view as right; and (3) to agree with. First, acceptance involves your will. You can choose to accept yourself or not; it’s up to you. Second, when something is acceptable, it’s viewed as being “right.” We tend to reject ourselves because we see only what’s wrong with us, rarely what’s right. Often this attitude was instilled in us early in life by those who focused on our weaknesses instead of our strengths, and we still carry their opinions with us. Third, the word accept means “to agree with.” If you’re having a problem accepting yourself, you need to get into agreement with God’s Word. He says you’re “righteous,” so start saying the same thing (see 2 Corinthians 5:21). That can take a while to sink in, but over time it will take root within you. The Bible says, “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3). To walk with God, you must agree with Him. He says He loves you and accepts you “in Christ,” so start to agree with Him and stop putting yourself down. When God made us, He said, “It was very good,” and He hasn’t changed His mind. But be patient—He’s not through with His creative work in your life. And He wants you to see yourself as He sees you and learn to love yourself while you’re still “under construction.”