Acceptance - God wants us to make friends with everyone no matter how different they may look of act.
Acceptance is the ability to respect the dignity and rights of all persons, even those whose beliefs and behaviours differ from our own. Everyone should strive to love and respect their neighbour, as they love and respect themselves.
An accepting person is:
willing to treat everybody as a member of a group; non-judgemental; welcoming to those different than himself/herself; and loving and happy with who he/she is.
The virtue of Acceptance means we accept ourselves and others, just the way we are. God created all of us in His image, and God does not make mistakes. Being part of Gods family means that we love and welcome everyone just the way Jesus did. Sometimes we find ourselves in situations where it is easier to follow the crowd than to stand up for what we know is right. However, Jesus wants us to accept everyone even when it is hard.
If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together with it. Now you are the body of Christ and individually member of it.
Can you remember a time you felt unaccepted? How did that make you feel?
