I enjoy talking about accepting yourself as God is changing you, maybe because I have to do it myself all the time. There are some things we simply cannot change about ourselves- and we have to accept ourselves as we are until we are changed by the Lord.

In Genesis 32:24-32, Jacob was left alone with God and it became a wrestling match. As they wrestled, God touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh and put it out of joint. Why did God do this? He did it to get Jacob to rely on Him and not on His own schemes. After that, Jacob walked with a limp. Accept who you are, weaknesses, frailties, and all. God changed Jacob’s name from Jacob, which means trickster or schemer, to Israel, which means Prince With God. As we allow God to change us, we will rule with Him, weaknesses, limp, and all.

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14 (KJV)

The Apostle Paul said he had not yet arrived at perfection, but he still pressed on to be more like Jesus. With all his accomplishments, Paul still dealt with weaknesses in himself. As a matter of fact, some things never did change, so he relied on the Lord to help him understand that when we mess up, we can know that God is still working on us. God accepts us as we are; with weaknesses, frailties, faults, and failures.

I used to see people and wonder how God could possibly use them. As I matured, I grew to understand, especially when I noticed my own shortcomings. I might say the wrong things or keep falling over the same weaknesses. I have to keep dealing with my flesh and all the other stuff in my humanity. I have come to understand a little better that God separates me from my weaknesses and sees who I am in Him and who He is making me to be. Let me emphasize that again- God separates us from our weaknesses! My identity is not tied to the mistakes I repeatedly make but to who He has said I am.

But the path of the just (righteous) is like the light of dawn, That shines brighter and brighter until [it reaches its full strength and glory in] the perfect day. Proverbs 4:18 (Amplified Bible, AMP)

As long as I am leaning on God, even with a limp, with all the bumps and bruises along the way, I am getting closer and closer to the perfect day- my path is getting brighter. God left some weakness in the Apostle Paul, yet he went on and did great things for the Lord. Dear friend, God has left some weaknesses in us. If we had it all together, we would not see a need for the Lord. Yet, He will use us just as we are, as long as our hearts are right with Him. We may see our faults, but God sees our hearts. Remember that His strength is made perfect in our weakness and He uses the weak things to confound the strong, so that no flesh gets the glory that rightfully belongs to God.