Acceptance is not Approval
A friend of mine has always said, “Acceptance is not approval.” After about the hundredth time I found myself wishing she would never say the words again. Now I find myself quoting her. I’ve been thinking a lot about that lately. Right now it’s ringing true in my life.
Let me tell you a few things about me…
- First of all, I’m not organized. I’m done pretending like I am. My papers stack up and my area looks cluttered. But I know what’s there. My inbox is a mess.
- The clothes in my closet are not neatly categorized according to color or season. Yes, my winter clothes are combined with my t-shirts.
- I mainly live out of my clothes basket. I try to do laundry by Wednesday, and if there is anything clean left in the hamper I hang it up. Yes, it’s wrinkled because it went straight from the dryer to the basket. But I’m a Downy addict, so at least the wrinkled shirt smells wonderful. Oh, and I don’t own an iron. However, I do know how to use one in case of an emergency.
- I love my Smurfs t-shirt, my shorts, and my flip-flops. I don’t always look classy, but I look comfortable.
- My car is a storage unit. You will find books in my backseat, a package of rice cakes for the go, a portable fan (I never leave home without it), my guitar, and a few shirts in the floor board. It’s in desperate need of a car wash, and maybe someday I will make it there.
- I’m horrible at making beds. I wake up in the mornings and search for my sheet that I kicked off who knows where because I’m always tossing and turning. I throw it over the bed and top it with my comforter. There is no tucking and folding.
- My brain is more scattered lately than it used to be. I forget things. You can tell me three times and I’ll probably still forget. I don’t do it to bother you, it just happens. But if you write it down three times, remind me another few, then ask me to do it after I missed whatever it was I was supposed to do, I will get it done.
- I cry at movies of all kinds. I cry when you cry. I cry at Hallmark commercials. I quit pretending to be tough, and I’m okay with that.
- I hate injustice and my need to protect others flares up intensely when I see it. I tend to forget sometimes that God is plenty capable of handling things Himself. But He is usually quick to remind me.
I’m not perfect. Parts of me are a mess. Some people in my life accept me for the messy, unorganized, t-shirt wearing, emotional girl that I am. Some people in my life are still trying to change me. I’m learning to be content with both. I’m thrilled to be accepted for me. Sometimes it hurts when I’m not. But if I try to change the person that is trying to change me, then I’m no different.
I write this to encourage you that although you may not approve of something in the life of someone you love, that doesn’t mean you can’t accept them. God created us each uniquely.
I have come to terms with the fact that posting this will not likely get me a date soon. (Note: If you are an organized guy who loves to cook, clean, do laundry, and go to the grocery store, we can plan the wedding today.) However, it makes me feel better to let the world know that next time you see me you will know I got dressed out of the hamper, threw my wrinkled sheets on the bed, and my eyeliner is running because I’m a woman and I got emotional during the song playing in the car while I was eating a rice cake because I forgot I was meeting you and missed lunch.