The following passage shows how confused anyone,
even so called experts, can be about ACCEPTANCE-
Excerpt from,
THE TRUTH ABOUT GROWING APART
http://family.go.com/self/pkg-relationships/article-813922-the-truth-about-growing-apart-t/
Challenge your partner.
Unconditional acceptance is for infants. The Shechtmans assert
that caring for your partner means holding him accountable for
living up to his best vision of himself and continuing to grow.
"Challenge is a vote of confidence, a sign of respect," they say.
"Conversely, accepting people exactly as they are is a form of
abandonment. The message you send when you unconditionally accept
a partner's self-destructive or self-defeating behavior is that
you believe she can't do better. Ultimately, this defeats the
marriage itself. When you don't challenge your partner, you are
essentially giving up on her."
The author(s) mistakenly assume acceptance is about concepts, e.g.
"I'm not good enough", instead of about the real person,
who is beyond concepts.
Accepting concepts is transitory.
True acceptance is for the real, eternal.
It's challenging to see beyond concepts, but unconditional love
(including acceptance)helps us act from 'a deeper place',
while we are still unaware:
Jesus says it well in Matthew 25.37+,
37 “Then those who are righteous will reply to him, ‘Lord,
when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and
give you a drink?
38 When did we see you as a stranger and welcome you, or naked
and give you clothes to wear?
39 When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
40 “Then the king will reply to them, ‘I assure you that when you
have done it for one of the least of these brothers and sisters
of mine, you have done it for me.’
Peace,
Matthew
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