Finding Contentment: 5-Day Devotional for CoachesSample

Accept Things as They Are

In Philippians 1, St. Paul talks about wanting to be in the next life, to be in Heaven with God. I’m sure many of us have reflected on this thought at various moments as we struggle through life. Gosh, wouldn’t it just be great to move on? We are exhausted with the reality of life and just want to move on to the next thing.

But I think even more relevant in our life today is being torn between the present moment and the next moment. So often, we struggle to be present in the now. Our mind is on some future problem or obstacle. Even as you read this, your mind may wander to other pressing things you want to do today, or problems you have to solve. We are constantly torn between the present and the future. 

Being present in the now requires an acceptance of our current reality. It requires an acceptance of ourselves. 

The famous serenity prayer starts with: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.”

Well, we have to accept things as they are before we can start to work on the things we need to change. 

One of the great pitfalls and temptations in any personal spiritual development is believing that by improving ourselves, we will become more deserving of love. God loves us as we are, not as we should be. We will never be who we should be for as long as we live on Earth. 

So, as you go through this devotional, one prayer I’d encourage you to pray throughout the week is: “God, thank You for letting me fail, for it reminds me that my worth doesn’t come from my strength.” 

God loves me as I am, not as I should be. Because nobody is as they should be.