1 Reason You Can't Accept Yourself

Jesus tells us He loves us. But why do we have such a hard time believing it? One reason may be because many of us struggle to accept “all” of ourselves.

The “good,” the “light” the “joyful” parts? No problem. But the parts that make poor decisions? The parts we deem “bad” or “dark”? These are a lot harder to accept.

But we will not be at peace until we can integrate our “dark and light.” To say, “Hey, these “hard” parts of me—the parts I don’t always like—they exist!” They are a part of me and they always will be this side of heaven.

Part of coming to this acceptance is realizing that Jesus loves ALL the parts of us. Even the “dark” parts. In fact, Jesus died WHILE we were yet sinners. Not before we did anything wrong. Not after we screwed up. WHILE (Romans 5:8) .

Yes, it’s okay to try to “clean up our act.” To live more Christ-like. But believing that God only loves us when we’re good is sheer foolishness. There’d be no reason for a Savior if we were perfect.

It can be freeing to realize that we are loved and forgiven in our “darkness.” And if we’re struggling to integrate the darker parts of our personality with the more “presentable parts,” we can ask God to help us accept ourselves. Here’s a prayer you can say today:

Jesus, I believe you love ALL of me; help me in my unbelief. Help me to be gentle with myself, even when I see parts I deem as “bad.” Help me change my identity from BAD to REDEEMED. From UNACCEPTABLE TO ACCEPTED. Help me to not deny the existence of my dark parts, but to see them as fully seen and redeemed by you.

In Jesus Name, Amen.