Accepted, Accepting

DEVOTION
ROMANS
ACCEPTED, ACCEPTING
Rom 15:7
7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
NIV
What a horrible thing to consider Christ rejecting me. I am glad I do not have to be worried about that for he did not. No he did in fact accept me just the way I was and am. I am completely amazed at this total acceptance. What have I done to desire such love? I am not sure I can think of anything. He simply accepts me for who I am one of his creations who was in need of salvation or justification. I am also someone who needs the help of the Holy Spirit in the process of sanctification. To affirm one again, I am simply accepted. Now the rub here, is I need to learn to accept others in that same total complete way. What does that mean? I believe what I need to do, is accept others as they are. Not attempting to change them to me my requirements. That surely would be a form of judgment. I would be saying in so way they are not good enough for me to accept them. They need to change; they need to be more like what I think they should be. That certainly seems awfully self- centered to me, if I am like that. Who am I do not accept others? Nobody! I am in no position to not accept others for who they are, the way they are, as Christ has and is still doing. But it is not that easy. I have to admit I do have those kinds of feelings. I do expect others to fit some kind of mold, to act in some way which I deem to be correct behavior, especially in their relationship with me. There I have said it. So what do I do with that now? Does it mean I have rejected them, for who they are? No, not really. I do accept them, but at the same time I am not happy about how they act toward me. So how do I marry those two thoughts; accepting them and not accepting their behavior? Is that what Christ does? Does he accept me, yet he desires me to change? I think so. But he is Christ. He has the authority to require change, I do not. No, I must simply accept others as Christ accepted me, freely and openly without any other requirements of change. Any change in other people must be left to the one who is in authority. Lord, I need your help!