Heart of Acceptance

You will never have influence in another person’s life until they first feel accepted by you. Pushing people away or forcing them to conform BEFORE accepting them rarely if ever leads to a strong relationship.  Approval/ Acceptance/Requirements. The tension of acceptance is messy and has to be fleshed out. Some think it’s okay to pull far away (requirements) and others that we should all live and let live (approval). Jesus keeps stepping into the messy middle of acceptance. Acceptance does not equal approval, there is such a thing as sin that harms God’s good creation. This section will be the longest…lots of things to process

Luke 15 is the backdrop for how to live in the tension of acceptance if we take our relationship cues from the father: He was filled with compassion long before the request for forgiveness was spoken, He was the first to run toward them instead of pulling away, His default response was one of grace not merit (earning something) and celebrating what only the Father can do in his wisdom!