"To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now."
Fred Rogers
"Honor God by accepting each other, as Christ has accepted you."
Romans 15:7 (WE)
Jesus honored God the Father in His life. And the way He honored God was by loving and accepting all people. Jesus welcomed sinners and seekers. He ate with outcasts as well as Pharisees. He warmly embraced everyone - whether children, lepers, tax collectors or fisherman. He spoke with the rejected and noticed the forgotten. He met people right where they were and accepted them.
And He is doing that with us right now, in every moment. Every moment we are accepted completely, just as we are, with all our hangups and struggles, dreams and quirks - accepted and loved, valued and cherished. That is what it means to be truly loved - to be taken in, embraced, valued and accepted just for who you are.
And because we have been so loved, we can accept ourselves, just as we are right now. And we can accept others just as they are right now, too. We are freed to take off our masks and let others know they can take off their masks, too. We are freed to extend understanding, to give people grace, to look past defense mechanisms, to love people just for who they are. We are freed to see the uniqueness of every person, honor their dignity, and celebrate their true beauty. For that is just how Christ has treated us!
A Thought: May the love of Christ, that is nonjudgmental acceptance without the possibility of rejection, keep spreading to more and more people!