One of things that keep us from fully knowing God, ourselves and others is our lack of self-acceptance. Without self-acceptance we have no choice but to deny some part of ourselves that we struggle with.
Radical self-acceptance is the key to changing unwanted or undesirable behaviors in ourselves. This does not mean we necessarily like or admire this part of ourselves but we need to learn how to accept and allow ourselves the freedom to experience our feelings fully, without reproach.
We can attempt to think good thoughts in our minds, but if deep in our hearts we continue to deny parts of ourselves that we believe are unacceptable, we continue to have a heart of shame, a heart that says’ “I am not acceptable”.
Our life will then reflect what the heart really believes.
If I believe any part of me is unacceptable, I will hide. I will hide parts of me from God, from others and from myself and the healing, peace and joy I long for will continue to slip away from my life. Being honest about who you are, what is happening and what you need with someone you trust can be the beginning of the healing you long for.