I love this word. Acceptance. It means alot and it may mean something differently to different people. I don't feel like getting out the dictionary so I'll just ramble about what it means to me.
Acceptance is like sweet surrender. It is the point that we all reach when we embrace what has been given rather than fight tooth and nail for what we can not have.
It is spiritual. All the time. For me, it's when I quit struggling with God and I accept His handiwork. It's when I allow the frustrations of life to dissipate into a peace of where God has placed me and what He is doing with me.
It's also part of our relationships with others. Sometimes we need to accept relationships that we wish could be better. We need to accept our brothers and sisters in the LORD (that includes our immediate and extended families as well!) as Jesus accepts them. Have you ever thought of your son or daughter as your brother or sister in the LORD? Not something I think about every day. Once again, when I let my frustrations go, the LORD blesses with peace.
Having said all that I am accepting my lack of energy (low iron) and my list of "to do" that doesn't seem to get done. I accept that my main job right now is to take care of the baby - the house has to wait. I accept that the next month will not be the greatest and I will fall back again and complain and rail. I accept my weakness when I want so much to be strong. Today, I accept all of this and I am just really thankful for everything that we HAVE been blessed with.
I am most thankful that the LORD is so patient with me - In the hands of God - I fall.
Thanks for sharing, Gloria. Your journey towards acceptance can be a witness to all of us. I think of acceptance as relinquishing the idea of perfection and welcoming the peace of contentment instead.
ReplyDeleteI like your definition too Jan!
ReplyDeleteWonderful post, Glora. Acceptance means all those things to me too and what Jan added. I have come to accept that God knows better for me than I do and that the "thorn" He gave me is to help me grow and rely on Him more. Even to accept the horrible things He has put in our path. I have come to accept the past to the point that it is no longer ruining the present or future. Acceptance has had so many benefits: More trust, no bitterness, peace, no anger, restful sleep, etc. Thank you GOD!! Not saying that there aren't days where I need to remind myself of Christ's grace and mercy.
ReplyDeleteGloria, thanks for your RP article. :)
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