"Acceptance does not mean passive resignation. Resignation means giving up because you've decided that there's nothing you can do about your situation, whereas acceptance simply means that you accept that your situation happened." - Psychobabble for Ordinary people, blogger

As we make our way through life, we all experience our wins and losses. There's heartache mixed with moments of bliss. That's the human existence. Yet, along the way, those ups and downs leave their marks. They create baggage that impacts the way we look forward at the horizon and how we experience life right now in the moment.

Seeing clearly and engaging reality with a clear mind requires perspective.

To have that type of perspective, we've got to evaluate those times in life when we've given up and resigned ourselves to a particular fate or situation.

Too often do we move past those hard times, bury the pain, and try to move forward. We do it to survive, but over time it affects us in ways we can't fathom.

Hard times, disappointment, and failure will hit us all at some point in life in different measures. How we respond to those times impacts how we move forward and grow.

Will we let disasters and defeat, no matter how big or small, define us?

When we respond with resignation, we essentially quit and leave unresolved issues.

To respond with acceptance does something very different. It doesn't nullify the pain. It doesn't mean you give up on your dreams. It just means you see things as they are and work to control the only thing you can control; yourself. Don't let disappointment define you. In the wake of loss, you have the choice to do what's next.

Otherwise, you've set yourself up for a war with reality that ultimately you can't win.

When we stop trying to control the things we can't control, we also stop fighting against reality. Acceptance happens. You see things as they are, warts and all. Then you are able to move on and keep living awake to life. You are able to be present in the world; fully grounded in reality.

Do you know who else is fully present in the world? God.

It's only by being in the present, being who we are where we'll find God at work.

She's not in the past. So we should stop living there. Show notes

Episode Timestamp:

In the News: 02:50

Christian Crazy: 16:20

Main Conversation: 26:30

Articles referenced:

Why Acceptance Is Not The Same as Giving Up ~ Jennifer Mulder

The Difference Between Acceptance and Resignation ~ Christy O'Shoney

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