Acceptance is Power

Add caption

“Lord, grant me the strength to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” Francis of Assisi

 

I am sitting at the airport contemplating my day. Our flight has been delayed two hours. I had used up all the battery life on my iPhone - from "stalking" my daughters and distant friends on Facebook. I am bored. After reading a crumpled and discarded newspaper and trying to lure my husband away from his work to entertain me(to no avail), I decided to finally relent and accept this delay instead of trying to find ways to be distracted from it. The words  of  Francis of Assisi came to mind and this got my wheels turning.

This man was exceptional in his insight from way back in the 13th Century. I could not change the fact that the weather had delayed the flight - this was beyond my control. I could not change my husband's steely focus on his project- this was somewhat in my control :) I became aware that my agitation and boredom was within my control and something I could change. So, I pulled out my laptop and decided to write this blog and put the delay to good use. Until this realization, I had no creative thought about writing. Something happened when I decided to accept my present circumstance. It unlocked an ability that would have otherwise remained dormant and un-accessed.

Many of us are exhausted and worn out because we have not developed the skill to accept the things we cannot change. When you choose for example, to accept that a relationship has ended, that you made a poor investment, or that a loved one is sick - the acceptance in itself gives you power to no longer be trapped by the powerlessness of your circumstances. By accepting that a relationship has ended you are empowered to position yourself to take what you learned and prepare yourself differently, because you have clarity about what you actually want and deserve in any future relationships. When you do not accept, that a relationship has ended, you become a victim to all the things that you wish you had said but never did. In a sense, your lack of acceptance keeps harming you because you are trapped in an ending that never ends without any room for a new beginning.
 
I had to exercise wisdom in discerning that my husband was too engrossed in the project he was working on. Demanding any attention from him would have been futile and frustrating. I then had to have courage to confront my own boredom and make an effort to change my attitude by writing a blog which had been on my "to do" list for the past week. The progression is subtle and if you are out of sync with yourself, you may miss the power and progression that comes with acceptance. After acceptance, comes courage and wisdom. Wisdom is the correct application of knowledge. Wisdom will increase your ability to discern how to effectively respond to your life challenges.

Acceptance, which may appear to be very passive at first glance, is actually a dynamic force that has the power to propel you out of an unpleasant situation into something hopeful, beautiful and transformative.