Accept & embrace

Beautiful things begin to happen when we choose to love people rather than judge them. It’s easier to point fingers at each other than try and understand why people act the way they do...

Photo credit: Renee Fisher on Unsplash

You’ve probably heard the famous Newton’s third law of motion that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. It’s true. People don’t just suddenly decide to change or shut everyone out because “they felt like it”.

Most of the time it’s because they are hurt and in pain. Such people aren’t looking for someone to judge them and tell them what they should or should not be doing. Often times they are seeking someone who is willing to embrace them and the mess they are in.

From my 19 years of existence, I have learned something: love changes people. This may sound cliché to you and you’ve probably heard this a billion times, but guess what? It is the TRUTH.You cannot change people by your will-power, however, you can love them and that’s where change happens.

Love changes people

I used to think that if I want to change somebody, I have to use all my strength and power to do so. But that never worked. Why? because that’s not how it’s supposed to be done.

As human beings, we are always looking for empathy and compassion from our surroundings. We don’t want to be left out, rejected or neglected by others – instead we seek to be loved, accepted and supported no matter where we come from or what is in our past that we hold onto and is weighing us down.

Now to be honest with you, some people are just hard to love. But the key to loving others isn’t about how good, educated or wise of a person you are. It’s about knowing how much you – yourself –  are loved and where your true identity and worth come from.

To make this clear, loving others doesn’t necessarily mean cheering them on when making bad choices just because you want to be a “supportive" of them. It’s more about opening their eyes and showing them the right path that they may choose to take.

How does that affect them?

One of my very beloved aunts has been battling depression and anxiety for a while. She felt lonely, hurt and isolated herself from the world. She was not happy with her life and she’s always had suicidal thoughts .

My family and I decided to love, embrace and pray for her. It broke our hearts to see her mentally and emotionally suffering. We chose to show compassion and kindness. We chose to show her that no matter how she may be feeling, she is loved and worthy for exactly who she is. We chose to fill her emptiness with love and empathy.

Loneliness makes us hollow. And that hollowness can be so heavy sometimes that it becomes a burden on our shoulders.

Change takes time. People don't magically heal overnight. But they eventually do.  It takes love, patience and sacrifice . . . at the end it's all worth it. Now my auntie is on the journey to recovery and healing. She has taken big steps towards a change and we are very proud of her. 

You see, there is always room for love. No one ever complains about being loved or "too loved". 

I want to conclude this by saying that love is one of the symptoms of forgiveness.

Forgiveness has been freely given to us. So where there is forgiveness, there is love. Where there is love, there is healing. Where there is healing, there is joy. Where there is joy, there is change. Where there is change, there is influence. Where there is influence, there is a blessing.

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