1010) One difficulty I regularly see among my students is their desire for acceptance and the pain they endure when they don’t receive it. Because this need is so great, I have seen them do anything they can to fit in. What they wear, say or do is evidence of this need. I have seen many adults, myself included, who also diligently try to fit in. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with wanting acceptance, but the method used to gain it is what’s in question.

God knows that this is a basic human need and desire, so he tells his children in Romans 15:7 to accept one another. This acceptance in the Greek is proslambanó, which means to aggressively receive or take a strong personal interest in another. We should go out of our way to take an interest in others, welcoming them in our social circles.

If those of us who call themselves Christians spent a lot of our time accepting others in this manner, the change in society would be drastically better. How about including someone you don’t normally seek out and take a personal interest in them? The results will be astonishing.