Happy Thursday Divas! Today I am participating in Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop. The writing prompt for this week was to write a post based on a word from a provided list ( explore, release, trust, acceptance and creativity. Since ”accept” is one of my words for 2013, I chose acceptance! Here are my thoughts:
My eleven year old daughter has a huge problem with acceptance when things do not go her way. I guess fruit really doesn’t fall far from the tree. (LOL!) I keep saying to her: “You are going to have to learn to accept the word NO!”. Such a parenting thing to say, huh? Although I can certainly dish it out, can I take my own advice? Well, that depends. Acceptance is EASY when you are told you have won a chunk of money, not so much when the IRS sends you a large tax bill.
Miriam Webster’s online dictionary defines acceptance this way: an agreeing either expressly or by conduct to the act or offer of another. Now Divas, y’all know we can say yes with our mouths but our body language and conduct can say NO, really loudly. Sometimes, we even convince ourselves that we have boarded the train of acceptance only to really be on the merry go round of denial.
I think a major component of acceptance that affects how easily we can practice it is, truth.
In the book of John Jesus warned the disciples:
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NVI 1984)
The truth of the matter is…. bad stuff happens. In all reality we should expect it. Not in a way that we become Eeyore from Winnie the Poo, but to expect hardships as part of life. It is also true that I say: no, not now, I don’t know their parents, I don’t think that is a good idea, or simply because I said so to my daughter because I love her. She can trust that I have HER best interests in mind.
Although we don’t always understand God’s purposes in the trials we experience, we can trust His heart because we know Him. We can take heart, (be of good cheer and pleasantly experience true acceptance) knowing -no matter how bad the circumstances might be today – Christ has overcome the world and secured my victory.
Katina, I love that you looked it up in the dictionary – I do it all the time. Maybe because English is my second language, not my first.
Also, I love the acronym DIVA you invented!
Oh, do bad things happen. But His promise is that He is always with us, and that He does have our best interests at heart. That is a comfort for me.
Great OneWord!
Girrrl, English is my first language and I still need to look things up–to be sure. I am a southern girl and in the South, we say things like “fixin’ to” that are NOT in the dictionary! Often, I have to remind myself of God’s character and look back over my life and see where HE has brought me from to gain clarity and truth to help with acceptance and allow comfort to come. Thanks for commenting!
I completely agree and I need to work on the notion that I don’t have to do anything to earn acceptance. At least where God is concerned.
It IS hard because it is anti the way things go in our world. You have to DO something to get something in our society. With God we only need to believe and trust. So easy, yet so hard. Thanks for commmenting!
I’m another one who loves to triple-check definitions in dictionaries. I think it’s the language teacher in me.
And yes, I’m very guilty of jumping on the merry-go-round of denial. I must work on that…
(Visiting from Mama Kat’s)
Ahhh, that merry go round of denial—no fun at all and it really does make us sick! Thanks for commenting