Acceptance

Acceptance of everything, everybody and every situation is the beginning of a peace filled life. Many, many times I catch myself saying, "Oh I wish this hadn't happened." Or I wish a difficult person out of my life. Not accepting my "negative" circumstances makes my life even more difficult than the moment dictates.


A couple of weeks ago I was pulling my trash receptacle to the main road for garbage pick-up. I happened to notice that there were cigarette butts all over my yard, in the area closest to my neighbor. Yes, you're right, she just happens to be a chain smoker.
The sight of those cigarette butts incensed me beyond reason. I mean, who does that? Tarnish your own yard!! I was so furious; I immediately wrote to my landlady asking her to talk to my neighbor's landlord. I wanted her to have him warn her that I would not tolerate her rudeness. My landlord asked me to first talk to my neighbor who I really never see, between her schedule and mine.

“The Bible tells us to love our neighbors,
and also to love our enemies;
probably because generally
they are the same people.”
― G.K. Chesterton

Late that night I went outside to pull the garbage can back to the house and to throw something in it. Okay, okay, and to catch my neighbor smoking so as I can confront her. I asked really gently if she had seen some kids around my house smoking as there were numerous butts in my yard. She said, really quickly, "It wasn't me!" Sigh... I told her to have a good night and went back into my house.
I prayed for peace over this matter as it was maddening me to a dangerous level. I was praying selfishly, "God, give me peace about this and make her stop. Put a pox on her for being so evil to me.... whine, whine, whine." On the following day, I decided to be an adult about the whole matter. I cleaned up my yard of every single cigarette butt. What was I going to do? No one claimed them and they weren't going to pick themselves up. Interestingly, the next week didn't produce any more nicotine garbage, so I calmed down. Then..... one day recently, I saw ONE cigarette butt and my temper went through the roof. I was as mad as a wet hen. Oh, her nerve!!! Seriously!
I left it there. Aargh!!
Fume, fume, fume....Because this issue was giving me the exact opposite of peace (which I claimed daily to have), I prayed again. This time really earnestly. What would it have killed me to just pick up the one butt and toss it in the garbage? My pride and a bruised ego, that's what.


I was telling God about how evil the neighbor was, how they belonged in a trailer park, how He promised he would scatter our enemies 7 ways, that He would protect His children from all evil, and on an on. Suddenly, I heard a clear, loud thought: Love your neighbor, accept... Huh? Needless to say, this stopped my tide of pleas and complaints to God. Love and accept my neighbor? Love and accept the situation? This was going to be a toughy. But I heeded and instead of cursing her, I started sending my neighbor positive vibes, wishing her well and accepting the situation for what it was.
This past Sunday, I was off. I went out to place something in the rubbish bin and ran into my neighbor. Outside her house were a couple of pick-up trucks and a U-Haul looking like container. So I asked the obvious. Yes, they were moving, across to the other side of the Island.

It takes Eckhart Tolle to tell you:
'How often each day, if you were to verbalize your inner reality at that moment, would you have to say, “I don't want to be where I am?” What does it feel like when you don't want to be where you are - the traffic jam, your place of work, the airport lounge, the people you are with? “I don't want to be here” is not only useless but also dysfunctional. It makes you and others unhappy. Surrender becomes so much easier when you realize the fleeting nature of all experiences and that the world cannot give you anything of lasting value.  No longer demand that a situation, person, place, or event satisfy you or make you happy.
And the miracle is that when you are no longer placing an impossible demand on it, every situation, person, place, or event becomes not only satisfying but also more harmonious, more peaceful.'


I have found over and over again, that as soon as I accept people and situations, as they are, everything seems to work out for good. Joyce Meyer says to "consider that God is using these negative situations and people as sandpaper. Polishing the rough edges out of you." Deliberate on the good character you receive in return. You can trust God whole heartedly or not at all. The universe doesn't resolve on our timetable. Pray, wait, be patient, be strong, take heart. Allow acceptance to be a soul reforming experience that develops your endurance and fortitude. Relinquish your own agenda and let things be as they are. Life, will then go your way.

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.