Flaws and All

"I don't know why you love me
And that's why I love you
Catch me when I fall
Accept me flaws and all
And that's why I love you"
-Beyonce "Flaws and All"


Acceptance is hard. It is very hard to truly accept someone or something. So hard in fact that we have all but given up on the concept in certain cases and created the idea of tolerance to replace it. We as human beings have such a hard time truly accepting people, ideas, values, and concepts completely and would rather choose to tolerate them because of their imperfections. Because they, as much as we may be drawn to them or want them or even need them, may rub us the wrong way or present us with something that we don't like and by accepting them we accept these things as well. So I pose the question why? Why is it so hard to accept something that is imperfect? Why is it hard to give grace and allow for imperfection?
I once had a conversation with a friend of mine about loving and knowing one's self. I told her that I think those concepts go hand in hand. To love one's self without exception and to understand and be content in your own imperfections to me is truly loving yourself. Sure it's easy to say I would love me but not until I lose ten pounds, start making a seven figure salary, marry the man of my dreams, and star in my own sitcom. I realize the sarcastic tone but the point I'm making is that some of us go through life waiting for something to help us love ourselves. The truth of the matter is that just as we have our friends and family and aquantainces around us and we recognize their flaws and accept them into our lives, it is paramount that we do the same for ourselves. And just as I love and respect my mother but realize that she is quite critical of me I don't wait until she stops crticizing to love her I just take the good things she says and let the bad ones roll off my back. So should we give this grace inwardly and recognize the beauty of our own humanity.

Accepting yourself flaws and all does not excuse your flaws, nor does it put you in a place to forget about them and never strive to do or be better. It simply allows you to not become so consumed in your flaws that you never have the time or courage to recognize your strengths, and the positive things about you. It all comes back to the basics. You gotta love you! And not just for you but for the world. We all have something special to offer this world we live in and if we cannot first conquer the task of recognizing that, then we can never fully be the person that love wants us to be. Our ultimate task in this life is to grow in love and that growth must start on a personal level. To know yourself and know your flaws and accept them, not tolerate but truly accept them is freedom. So accept yourself, get to know yourself, and love yourself... Flaws and all.


Until the next song plays...
- Jazz