Love and Accept

 

It’s easy to recognize shortcomings like conceit in others. It’s not always so easy to forgive them.

We easily love and accept people who are humble, people who show genuine concern for us and others. We’re naturally drawn to them as role models. We learn from them that positive, spiritually motivated behaviors are possible, even desirable.

But those men and women we turn away from because their unappealing behavior offends us, can teach us lessons that are perhaps even more important. Their efforts to get our attention are usually a distorted, confused cry for love and acceptance that even they might not understand. We are given an opportunity to learn tolerance, patience, forgiveness, and finally—with God’s help—genuine acceptance. Until we can learn love and acceptance for everyone, we won’t be able to fully and freely love and accept even the people we’re drawn to—or ourselves.

Today I will make a special effort to give honest and loving attention to those who are difficult for me to love.