Affirmation

Affirming someone for their character is a loving move. It validates the decisions they have made and feels uplifting. Loving someone doesn’t mean you affirm all their decisions.

Some choices are hard to affirm. The rub comes when affirmation is withheld. The good news is that what you choose to affirm is your business. Withheld affirmation can feel condemning and judgmental to the person who is longing to receive it.

Love and withheld affirmation are not mutually exclusive. If someone has a tantrum and demands you affirm them, holding your ground can still be loving. The tantrum is a sign… a sign their worth is misplaced in a sea of subjectivity, and they are looking for solid ground. They are drowning and calling you names for not affirming them.

Can you blame them?

Parting Thought: What you choose to affirm says a lot about who you are as a person.​ Confused about when or how to withhold affirmation? Read your Bible.