Self-Acceptance

Remember that man’s need to be loved comes from God. Since God is love, He created us to need love, because if we didn’t need to be loved, we would have no need to know God personally. Since we began life with no knowledge of God, we each sallied forth as lords of the ring, seeking to be loved by people. People do not give love freely—we must earn it the old- fashioned way. We must merit it in their perception. Although it’s not precise, I’m going to use the terms love and acceptance as synonyms.

Psychology has made some helpful discoveries. One hypothesis teaches that acceptance (love) can be attained if we believe three things:

• We must believe that we belong to at least one other person.

• We must believe we have value, that the world would be a bit poorer if we were to die.

• We must believe we are competent, that we can do at least one thing well.

Belonging, worth, and competence. This hypothesis implies that maintaining these three factors will produce a sense of being loved. It’s very helpful, but our method for satisfying these needs is of critical importance. God’s plan is that we learn how to “[accomplish] all things through Christ who strengthens [us]” (Philippians 4:13).

- Bill Gillham