Today’s reading is called “The Courage to Accept Acceptance.” (The line comes from Tillich.) (Author: Peter Van Breeman, SJ) So much truth in such a short article! Here are a few “gems.”

“Acceptance means that the people with whom I live give me a feeling of self-respect, a feeling that I am worthwhile. They are happy that I am who I am. Acceptance means that I am welcome to be myself.”

“Acceptance is an unveiling.” (Don’t you love that? An “unveiling!”) “Every one of us is born with many potentialities. But unless they are drawn out by the warm touch of another’s accpetance they will remain dormant. Acceptance liberates everything that is in me. Only when I am loved in that deep sense of complete acceptance can I become myself.”

Acceptance means accepting ALL of a person, even her shadows (the author uses the words “defects”…)

“I am accepted by God as I am–as I am, not as I should be.” (That one’s hard.)

“It is one thing to know I am accepted an quite another to realize it.” “It takes a long time to believe that I am accepted by God as I am.” (No kidding!)

“It is fairly easy to believe in God’s love in general (I preach it every week!), but it is very difficult to believe in God’s love for me personally.” (Very true.)

“Self-acceptance is an act of faith. When God loves me, I must accept myself as well. I cannot be more demanding than God, can I?”

And here’s my favorite:

“God’s love is infinite. We can never grasp it, never get hold of it, much less control it. The only thing we can do is jump into its bottomless depth.” (And that is sometimes soooooo difficult!)

A quote from Irenaeus (2nd c guy) in today’s Common Prayer reading fits well with these quotes: “The glory of God is the human person fully alive.”

Amen!

Peace for your journey….