“He made us accepted in the Beloved.”  Ephesians 1:6 Do you condemn yourself because you aren’t as spiritual as you think you ought to be? Do you see yourself as a second-rate disciple, lacking gifts and graces possessed by fellow believers who seem to be models of prayer, witness, and service?  We can rise above the mood of self-rejection and enjoy grateful self-acceptance when we put our lives into the nail-pierced hands of Jesus. If the Lord has accepted us, surely, we can accept ourselves.  Accepting Jesus’ gift of salvation frees us to accept ourselves.