Thinking Like a Boss Through Fear, Disappointment, and UncertaintySample

Accepting Our Reality

Day Two

Scripture: Philippians 4:6-7, 11; 2 Timothy 1:7; James 1:5 

Many years ago during a messy season of life, I found myself becoming increasingly frustrated when people would tell me, “Just practice acceptance.” I translated acceptance as agreeing with the disappointments I was facing in life—as if saying I was okay with it. I didn’t begin to grasp the real meaning of the word until I was working as an inpatient substance abuse therapist. One day, I had a lightbulb moment as I ended a therapy group with the Serenity Prayer by American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." 

It finally clicked: acceptance didn’t mean I was agreeing with or giving into my current situation, but rather looking past the messiness of it, seeking the Lord’s wisdom, and finding the courage to create solutions to move forward (James 1:5 NIV). 

Anyone here feel like you’re always in that messy middle? 

You’re working toward where you want to go, but not quite there yet? You’re close, and then—bang, something takes the wind out of your sails, whether it’s a global pandemic or an unexpected loss or a difficult season with one of your kids. We often search for strategies and ways to get out of these holding seasons, but what if life is, in some ways, just one big messy middle? 

What if we never fully arrive until we meet our Heavenly Father? 

Peace comes when we begin to accept life is hard and uncertain, and as long as we are choosing to grow in our faith, relationships, businesses or careers, we will face adversity. It’s just a part of the story. 

Can you work this week to accept this perspective and, rather than fight against it, begin to work with it? Wouldn’t life feel a whole lot easier if we weren’t constantly trying to control our outcomes, but can accept God’s plan as bigger than ours even when we can’t always see it in the moment? Since that lightbulb moment while working in rehab, I’ve learned to not just accept life as it is, but to see the beauty in the messiness of life.

Reflection:

1. What are you resisting right now you would feel a whole lot lighter if you could accept and move forward?
2. How are you keeping yourself stuck by trying to control it, rather than practice      acceptance, seek His wisdom, and create the courage to move forward?