“Therefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God – Romans 15:7

I was deeply in love with this girl. 

We were both looking forward to just one thing – walking down the aisle and live happily ever after. 

But there was a problem; we were from different cultures.

Whereas my people really had no issue with me marrying a woman from another tribe, it was a massive challenge on her side. 

Their culture has very tight extended family ties.

Even worse, she was going to be the first girl in her family to marry someone outside her tribal group.

When it looked as if we were determined to proceed, one of her relatives angrily confronted me and told me off in a way I will never forget. 

That marked the end of the wedding preparations. 

We all have our own stories of rejection and acceptance.

Psychologists say acceptance is one of humanity’s dominant items on our hierarchy of needs.

That’s why peer pressure, especially among young people, is a very powerful force.

We all dread rejection and crave acceptance.

There is actually a word for the fear of rejection – anthropophobia.

People dread not being accepted because of their size, tribe, race, character, appearance or even social status. 

The rampant nepotism, tribalism, racism, discrimination and hate in our world today show just how far humanity still has to go towards embracing mutual acceptance.

So what if one doesn’t look like you? Was it your choice to be born in your tribal group or with your skin colour?

You’re God’s accepted one, which directly puts you under an obligation to accept others as He has accepted you.

In ourmm meditation today, the Bible says our being accepted by God should be the ground for our acceptance of others. 

If you’re honest enough, you’re almost sure that God would have had every reason not to accept you, and justifiably so. You just wouldn’t fit the bill.

But Christ accepted you anyway. Even now, you’re not as good as you should be but He still accepts you and calls you His child.

In Acts 10:34-35, the Bible says; ‘I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears Him and does what is right.” 

The apostle Peter spoke those words while sitting inside the house of a gentile family, which was a sacrilege for a Jewish man during that time.

No matter our race, ethnicity, gender, status, or upbringing, God accepts us when we believe in Christ.

For people, it is never easy as it takes lots of “endurance” but verses 5-6 assert that what Christ did is the “same attitude of mind” that we must have towards others, “so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (verse 6).

That implies that acceptance of each other is the bedrock for the kind of Christian unity and oneness that glorifies the Father, who created us all in His own likeness.

Just imagine what the world would be like if we all were like God – accepting each other without regard to differences or superiority or inferiority complexes.

You’re God’s accepted one, which directly puts you under an obligation to accept others as He has accepted you.

Prayer:

Almighty God, thank you for accepting me in the family of God regardless of my past, status, tribe or social status. Help me to extend the same attitude of mind to everyone who crosses my path. For the glory of Your Name, Amen!