Total acceptance is the most important foundation in building your mate’s self-esteem. Without it, your marriage rests on the shifting sands of emotions.—Dennis and Barbara Rainey: Building Your Mate’s Self-Esteem
Face it—we are who we are. We all come to marriage with strengths and weaknesses—some of us have quirky habits or hobbies, some of us have peculiar personalities, all of us have fragile egos.
Marriage is one place that we can receive total and complete acceptance for who we are.
Are you finding this in your marriage? Are you giving it in your marriage?
One of the key areas to building your marriage is to accept your spouse—as they are. Will your spouse make you mad? You bet! Will your personality rub your spouse the wrong way? Equally—a sure thing.
Total and complete acceptance allows for this. It doesn’t shift.
The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7—-
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Cor. 13:4-7 ESV)
That is total acceptance.