I rest in this assurance - Acceptance

I rest in this assurance-
Acceptance:
God in His infinite wisdom
Did not make me very wise-
So when my actions are stupid, They hardly take God by surprise
- Langston Hughes

Yes we can rest in the assurance of a full and unconditional and unreserved acceptance in the love of God, for God is love and love believes the best of us. We are made in the image and likeness of God/Love so we are already perfect, complete and innocent. We are growing in wisdom, understanding and knowledge of our true identity, so it is a process we all go through and God, our highest self, understands that and is hardly taken by surprise when we make mistakes, so to speak. It doesn't change our identity as beloved and blameless children of God/Divine/Universe because as Jesus is, so are we in this world. I have come to learn that this is how we are perfected in love that casts out fear, including the fear of being judged by ourselves or others - to know and believe the love God has for us, that we are of God, that Christ is manifested in every one of us in the flesh, that nothing shall separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our true Self.

"It is OUR false hope that overwhelms us not these people who've behaved the same way their entire lives..."

Someone wrote:

"You let go by accepting... Insanity is rooted in not accepting... Once you learn acceptance life becomes more a mechanical process and less of a drama... Life can only be overwhelming as long as we carry poisonous false hope within us... It is OUR false hope that overwhelms us not these people who've behaved the same way their entire lives... Replace false hope with acceptance and you'll be free... By accepting (accepting full responsibility for) the reality we create, we ensure this false reality will never be recreated... Focus on what makes you susceptible to these expectations shaped by false hopes... All of life really happens inside of you. Resist the temptation to look outside... looking outside gives others power over you and drama is born..."

Yes, I have come to learn that everyone in the world is on a different journey and lives in their own reality they create. So how they treat me or respond towards me is a reflection of how they perceive themselves and others, which is something I have no control over. Like what the above  post says, I can learn to accept the full responsibility for the reality I create so that I will not be easily disappointed or disillusioned by my false hope or expectation of "people who have behaved the same way their entire lives". 

It reminds me of the example Ralph Smart gave in his video “How to Boost Your Confidence—You Are Worthy…Time to Fly!” - he also learnt to let go of expectations and accepted the fact that not everyone will resonate with his videos. There will be some people who respond positively and there will be others who respond negatively to his videos. So he shared that our perception of ourselves is what really matters because it is what shapes and governs our reality. 

I was reflecting that how people treat me is influenced or determined partly by how I treat or carry myself - if I practise self-love and acceptance and carry myself with dignity, perhaps there is a higher chance people will treat me the same way because according to the law of attraction, I will be attracting more of the good vibes I cultivate towards myself. 

Another part of the equation is that how others treat me is also partly determined by how they treat themselves. For example, if people are kind and friendly to me, it is because they are kind and friendly to themselves first. Similarly, if people like us and show respect to us, it is because they first like and respect themselves, and they like that part of themselves they see in us. I learnt this mainly from Carlton Pearson's teachings, and I find this observation to be mostly true. 

So having this awareness helps me to manage my own perception of the world, and reminds me to focus on living my own life and creating my own world instead of dwelling too much on what people may be thinking about me or how they treat me, which is not really within my control. It is an ongoing process as I need to remember this as often as I can and practise mindfulness so that I can continue to live in inner peace and harmony. 

Maturity And Empathy

I have seen how youths have been indoctrinated by the institutional church. It seems that often they end up becoming mini versions of the pastors, mirroring the way they think and speak. They may be smart but somewhat misguided. I see myself in that because I have been influenced by the way the pastor speak too and I have borrowed his lingo in the past.

If I were to bring up my own child, I would prefer him or her to be compassionate foremost, and also be teachable yet discerning. While I may be pleased if my child takes me or my words seriously out of respect, I would also want my child to think for themselves and come to their own conclusion.

On another note, I think some people who have come out of the Christian religion may appear nasty or insensitive because they have not been subject to as much hurt and abuse in some areas as others, so it can be hard for them to relate to those who have undergone much pain and suffering. Besides, they may have been indoctrinated to the extent they are not even aware they have been abused in those areas. Instead, they may find themselves defending the doctrines they grew up with, such as the idea of respecting the "bride of Christ" and not being critical about the abusive church culture, since they may have accepted such mindsets without much questioning. I see myself in that because I too have been blinded by church teachings when I used to attend their services and serve in their ministries. Conversely, those of us who have shared about our pain and suffering openly in a community of people who have undergone abuse in institutional churches have chosen to be vulnerable in expressing our hurt, and perhaps only those who have been hurt similarly would be better able to empathise with us and show acceptance and non-judgment.

Reflections on "Ending Judgment" Teleclass by Rikka Zimmerman

The above video has an encouraging message to remind everyone to accept ourselves wholly and not entertain any voice of judgment or condemnation in our minds or from any other source.

It offers a therapy workshop at the end of the video which is probably similar to the gospel of grace, except that it doesn't use christian lingo. I think we can also simply remind ourselves and arm ourselves with the truth that we are created to be loved and beautiful. After all, God created everything good, and God created us VERY good. We are made in Love's image. As Jesus is perfect and complete, and beautiful and blameless, so are we in this world.

We can be set free from condemning voices in the past - from family members and relatives, from workplaces, from religious circles, from our own past thought life that used to be performance-oriented. We are fine the way we are - we need not feel guilty or pressurised by the world system about having to do anything or be anything to prove ourselves. We are already valuable, already priceless, already favoured.

I believe that this revelation, when meditated on regularly, will keep any form of stress or anxiety far from us. Yes, in Righteousness (or Innocence), we shall be established, and we shall be far from oppression. We shall prosper in all things and be in health, even as our soul prospers.

Furthermore, if the truth be known, I believe that the so-called "judgment of God" and "wrath of God" in the Bible is nothing more than a projection of our judgment mentality that we once heaped upon ourselves before we came to the realisation that we are one with God and there is no separation between us and God who is Love.