Acceptance & Validation

We all walk around this earth with the need to be embraced, loved and accepted for who we are. We seek to be included in some social circle or group that is like minded to us. Even those that feel they are outsiders find acceptance from others that have been rejected.

At some point in the Christian walk we are indoctrinated to this concept of acceptance. We embrace the power that lies in welcoming all that come into our circle with open arms. Now this is a vital part of how we treat others but we must go further than this.

What we seek from being part of a group does not end at acceptance. What we are truly seeking is validation. Acceptance is this "Hey we love you regardless how crappy you are". Validation is "we love you because we know that you are a vital part of what God has planned". What we want is to be part of something bigger than ourselves. Acceptance is hey grab a seat and enjoy the service. Validation is glad to you see you here can you go do this?

In the early days of a church plant we were part of there was a young man that showed up one night. He was hungry and anxious to serve God. We welcomed him with open arms and accepted him then asked him to light the candles before the service. Sounds silly right; let me tell you that it brought such joy to him and all of us around him. Every week it was something more that he wanted to do and to serve, he was part of something bigger than himself.

You see we get caught up sometimes in spending so much time worrying about accepting people that we neglect to take the extra effort to invest and pour into their lives. The relationships that Jesus had were all about validation. The apostles on the beach "Hey how's it goin" (acceptance) "come and be fishers of men" (validation). The women caught in Adultery "whoever is without cast the first stone" (acceptance) "go and sin no more, and come roll with me and my crew" (validation).

As ministers of God (which we all are) we must push ourselves to go beyond the first step of mere acceptance and pursue how we can validate those around us.