"The feeling of being accepted by someone we love is a basic human need. Being accepted by good people motivates us. It increases our sense of self-worth and self-confidence. Those who cannot find acceptance from desirable sources often seek it elsewhere. They may look to people who are not interested in their wellbeing. They may attach themselves to false friends and do questionable things to try to receive the acknowledgement they are seeking. They may seek acceptance by wearing a particular brand of clothing to generate a feeling of belonging or status. For some, striving for a role or a position of prominence can also be a way of seeking acceptance. They may define their worth by a position they hold or status they obtain.
The ultimate source of empowerment and lasting acceptance is our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ." (Elder Erich Kopischke, May 2013 Ensign, p 104)
Why does acceptance lead to empowerment?
Quantum physics tells us that we are energy and that everything around us is energy too. This energy is vibrating and has a frequency that attracts other energies and in the process gives other energies power or takes power away from them. We cannot see this energy because we see with our physical eyes and therefore all we see is solid form. We live in a telestial world and all things belonging to this world has telestial energy. Whatever god we follow in this life gives us relevant energy. Whatever we invest ourselves in returns energy to us relevant to that investment. For instance, if an athlete invests himself in copious amounts of training each day, he will be empowered from the energy of that training to become a world class athlete and will receive recognition and acceptance from the sporting sector of the world. If a man or a woman invest themselves in years of study and long hours of work in their chosen professional field, they will be empowered by the energy of their profession and effort to receive success, prominence and acceptance of their professional field. Some forms of acceptance can be detrimental to our spirits and can entice us to conform to the standards of this telestial world in which we live. God, on the other hand, is a celestial being and we as his offspring can become celestial beings too. If we invest ourselves into receiving His acceptance, He will empower us with celestial power so we can become like him and rise above the telestial state of being. Proof of this concept can be found in D&C 109:22 which tells us that if we invest our time in attending the temple which generates spiritual energy, we will be endowed with His power.
What is the path to God's acceptance?
We are given a simple pattern we can follow in D&C 97:8 which tells us that God needs three things from us:
1. A broken heart
2. A contrite spirit
3. Keeping our covenants by sacrifice
When we have a broken heart we are in a state of self-reflection and can easily examine our motives and desires. This leads to having a contrite spirit. The Oxford dictionary defines a contrite spirit as "feeling or expressing remorse at the recognition that one has done wrong". When we have a broken heart and a contrite spirit we can acknowledge our wrongs and shortcomings and feel appropriate godly sorrow which leads to repentance. A contrite spirit is manifest by our willingness and determination to act and change, to invest ourselves in things of the spirit which would increase our spiritual power. The third step to being accepted by God is a conscious decision to make every sacrifice necessary to keep our covenants which we have made with God. Often we think that sacrifice means having to do something big or hard but in reality most of the time it refers to living day to day as true disciples of Christ. The more sacrifices we make to live righteously, the more spiritually powerful we receive. The more spiritually powerful we become, the more able we become to conquer the enemy of all righteousness, one of our primary purposes in life (Moroni 9:6).
How do we know that we are accepted of God?
By God granting us constant companionship of the Holy Ghost.
How do we know if we have that companionship?
In more ways than one, but the surest way to know is if you are receiving revelation. Holy Ghost is a revelator and He will tell you all things that are needful for you to know. He will speak to you the words of Christ and the words of Christ will tell you all things what you should do. (2 Nephi 32:2,3)
Lest we become overwhelmed by this tall order of being accepted by God, I wish to point out that there is good news! In Teachings of Presidents of the Church, President Lorenzo Snow points out that we cannot possibly live God's laws on our own. He says that the Gospel was designed in such a way that it would make us seek help from God, that 'the sacrifices that are required of us are of that nature that no man or woman could make them unless aided by supernatural power'. (p. 178, 179) In other words we cannot possibly live the Gospel on our own without God's help and grace. Even Jesus couldn't accomplish His work without divine help. He said on one occasion, 'I can of mine own self do nothing.....' (John 5:30)
Elder Kopischke concludes his talk with a promise of blessings that will come to us if we follow the simple pattern God has laid out for us and receive of his acceptance. His says:
"His loving acceptance will motivate us, increase our faith, and help us deal with everything we face in life." Now, is this not power? He goes on to say: "Despite our challenges, we will be successful, prosper (Mosiah 2:22), and feel at peace (Mosiah 2:41). We will be among those to whom the Lord said:
"Fear not, little children, for you are mine, and I have overcome the world, and you are of them that my Father hath given me;
And none of them that my Father hath given me shall be lost".
I know I for one want to be His and I do not want to be lost.
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