I have been so blessed to be married to Beth. We have been married for 36 years, but known each other for 40 years. She said she knew I was different when she met me, but being with her has helped me succeed because she has accepted me for exactly who I am instead of trying to change me.
I think sometimes we want to control other people. Maybe we wish they were more productive or that they wouldn’t work so hard. Maybe we wish they would connect with family more or that they would not be so overbearing on people. We want to make corrections to their life, so we try to adjust their behavior so that they fit into the box we want them to.
When we accept people where they are, we try to understand who they are, where they are within their life circumstances and where they want to be. And then we encourage them to continue on their path.
When we accept someone where they are, when we say, “I understand you have flaws. I understand that you see things differently than I do. And that’s okay. You’re perfect just like that,” we also open the door for people to understand and accept us in return.
Being in a relationship where we wake up everyday, ready to sacrifice to so that the other can feel this type of love has been the greatest blessing of my life.
We Can't Change Others, We Can Only Accept Them