Accept Each Other

Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory. Romans 15:7

SOMETIMES WE SEE OURSELVES —our interests, our temperament, our beliefs, our mannerisms —reflected back in the lives of our children. But other times we see exactly the opposite. Sometimes our children grow and flourish in the direction of our dreams for them. But other times our vision for our children doesn’t match up with how they are turning out.

We don’t find it difficult to accept and affirm those areas in our children that are a positive reflection of ourselves. We feel respected and affirmed by our kids when they follow in our footsteps and agree with our positions. The rub comes when God gives us children who think differently than we do, value different things than we do, and process life differently than we do. When this is the case, we may feel justified in withholding our affirmation, approval, and acceptance.

But then we read the words of Paul, who instructs us to accept each other. He’s telling us to go beyond mere tolerance to warm acceptance of those in the body of Christ who are different than we are —including our children.

This can sometimes seem like a tall order. And Paul seems to realize that genuine acceptance is never easy. So he provides us with both a motivation and a resource to accept others. Remembering and relishing the acceptance we’ve received from Christ provides what we need to accept others.

If you think about it, when we talk about acceptance in the church, we mostly talk about it in terms of us accepting Jesus. But the reality here is that Jesus accepted us even when we thought much differently than he does, valued things much differently than he does, and processed life much differently than he does. He didn’t require that we clean up our lives first. Like the father of the Prodigal Son, he ran to us, embraced us, and welcomed us into his family. Oh, that we might have the grace to accept our children in this way.

Lord, I need your grace to accept ________ in the same welcoming, affirming, glad-hearted way in which you accepted me. I need words of affirmation and encouragement. I need a countenance of joy and openness. I need a willingness to let go of my expectations for ________ so I can accept and celebrate ________’s life as it unfolds.