Karen’s Korner
I taught school for eleven years. (Two years in the public school system in Louisiana, and nine in the Christian School system in Birmingham, Alabama). I have probably learned more from my students than they ever learned from me. In the process of teaching seventh and eighth graders and coaching girl’s varsity sports, I began to understand the importance of acceptance.
And now, with my work with senior adults, I understand the importance of acceptance at an even deeper level. No matter the age, we all want acceptance.
Acceptance is a very unique concept. In Webster’s New World Dictionary, the word acceptance is defined as “a willing approval – or the act of believing in.” We accept things sometimes because we have been taught by those we admire, or by those who have told us that a particular idea or precept is to be accepted. (Just by someone else’s word.) Sometimes we accept because we have no control over the situation and there is nothing we can do except, “accept.” Then there are those times when we reason out and decide based on specific knowledge that a particular thing is acceptable or not acceptable.
What about people. How do we accept one another? In the many years that I have worked with youth and senior adults, I have come to the conclusion that all of us, every age level, craves acceptance. None of us want to be ignored, and we all need to be appreciated for who we are, not for what we can or cannot do. Sometimes, we are not able to be what some people expect us to be, or, do what people expect us to do. Acceptance is an important issue!
The Scripture tells us that we are all created equal; and in the “Image of God.” And yet, how many of us live if that were true? After all, the Bible is to be accepted or rejected, believed or not believed – it remains up to the individual; but for the Christian, it serves as a map or a pattern for us by which we live our lives.
If we do accept the Word of God as truth however, how then do we fit the definition of acceptance in our lives” Are we to accept everyone or anyone no matter how they express their religious preferences, political views, vocational choices, or life-styles? How do we accept people?
I think the key lies in the heart of the individual. Before we can accept others, we must first be able to accept ourselves; our talents, our abilities, our capabilities, our limitations, our shortcomings, our successes; and yes, even our failures; because in our humanity, young or experienced, we will fall short at one time or another.
Acceptance comes from the heart – through the eyes of love – with the help of the Divine Creator, who accepts us all!