21. Self-acceptance is essential for self-awareness.
(Before looking at the questions below, take a few minutes to think about this statement. Invite Jesus to speak to you about what He would like you to notice.)
WOULD YOU SAY THAT, IN GENERAL, YOU LIKE YOURSELF?
WHEN YOU BECOME AWARE OF YOUR FAULTS, ARE YOU TYPICALLY HARD ON YOURSELF OR DO YOU FORGIVE YOURSELF?
PSALM 103:14 SAYS, FOR HE KNOWS HOW WE ARE FORMED, HE REMEMBERS THAT WE ARE DUST. WHAT DO YOU SENSE THAT GOD WANTS YOU TO KNOW IN THIS VERSE?
Each of us lives with a significant lack of self-knowledge. We are reluctant to admit this and would like to think that we are well informed about ourselves. But the truth is, there is much about ourselves we do not know and therefore do not embrace.
The Johari Window is a schematic that helps us see this: https://www.healthynumbers.com.au/using-the-johari-window-to-really-get-to-know-yourself
In the window we notice two areas of knowledge about ourselves that we cannot see. It can be helpful to wonder how much of all there is to be known about each of us is actually known by us. Is it 50%? Maybe a bit more? Or maybe less? The road to self-awareness begins by admitting that there is much about ourselves that we simply are not aware of. Some of that is known only by God, but some of it is known by others-- family, friends, co-workers, etc. It is not enough to simply admit that there are parts of ourselves that we do not know.
At some point, we must accept our real and pretend selves for what they are, and we must make friends with these distortions of our true self. Self-acceptance is often difficult. A lack of self-acceptance is a significant problem in our culture and in our journey toward abundance. Until we can accept the “real me,” we will struggle to make progress in creating a “new me” and growing into the “true me.”
Experiencing self-acceptance is difficult to do on our own and we typically need help. Accepting ourselves, defects and all, is greatly aided by our relationship with Jesus and our experience of His acceptance of us. This cannot be a simple intellectual understanding; we must in some way experience His forgiving grace, His loving posture towards us, and His assuring voice.
Besides experiencing acceptance from God, we can also be assisted by experiencing acceptance from others, from those who accept not only our qualities but also our limitations and differences. This is most likely to happen in a small loving community of others who have also experienced God’s acceptance. Self-acceptance is an essential part of self-awareness, but we will need help in doing so.