Accept

I stare at this word again for a couple of minutes, remembering I had written this quite a while ago.  What does it mean to accept every day the life with which we have been blessed?  I mean every single piece of it, every moment.  Not only accepting, but is it done with joy, no matter what happens, when I open my eyes in the morning?  If you look back, I’m sure there are many instances that you have had to accept something that seemed impossible and may still haunt your senses.  I, myself, remember waking up from surgery, when I was in my early thirties, married already for ten years, with the finality that my husband and I would never be able to have our own children.  What does a young woman do with that realization?  Because of the stressful road that led up to that day, I had a choice on how to move forward, either accepting this new reality or to feel sorry for myself and my husband.  I truly believe that God gave us the grace to accept our new role in life.  We moved forward, day by day, with joy.  We accepted we had another role (and there were many over these past years) that He wanted us to play instead of being parents.  Looking back on our time since that day, some 49+ years later, I can see that by accepting rather than regretting, we’ve built a beautiful life together.  To be able to accept both the little annoyances (I don’t always do as well) and the major changes that WILL happen in our lives is not easy.  Every time I pick myself up and accept what has happened, I pray Jesus gives me the strength to do better the next time.  The important thing is that you and I always choose the path forward, knowing we are stronger with Jesus by our side.  I hope you will continue to pray, along with me, for strength, as hard as it may be, during those times, even to the point of giving thanks.  Only Jesus has the power to allow us to accept both the small and large tragedies every day.  What are you struggling to accept today?  I challenge you to turn it around by locking your eyes solely on Him.  It will not be from our strength but by Jesus’ grace that we are ultimately able to accept our challenges.  It is only from giving up of ourselves and our own desires that we will truly experience acceptance and peace. 

“Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth.” Luke 3:5