Sunday Reflections: Acceptance, contentment, and family
What a great day to be great! Last week left me thoroughly humbled and enlightened. I spent it very frustrated and anxious at first but I was able to shake that attitude as many things were revealed to me. Some of them were new and some of them were reminders of things I already knew. Let’s start with the new. I have received a fresh gratitude for acceptance. Many of us tend to view acceptance and contentment as synonymous, but I no longer view it as such. Acceptance is a state of mind where we acknowledge our limitations of influence. Many things are beyond our control; in fact, everything that is not linked directly to who we are and who we are striving to become is outside of our control. It is important to let go of any need to control because it is always the source of negative feelings. Whenever we feel disturbed it is because we believe that a person or situation is not as it should be; that it is somehow wrong, but this is not true. Things right now are exactly the way they are supposed to be at this moment in time. Peace is found in surrender and acceptance because we can never control everything and to know that peace requires that we let go of any desire to be able to do so.
Contentment is the other side of the peace coin. It is a gauge for expectations. To be content requires working from the inside out. Since we can only control ourselves then our expectations should only be limited to our own actions and personalities. Contentment cannot be found from external forces. To achieve peace we must accurately measure ourselves today against ourselves from yesterday according to personal expectations and abilities. Once arriving at the conclusion that you did all that you could do to be exactly what you want to be and you are satisfied you will be content. With contentment comes a level of acceptance and overall harmony between ourselves and the world we live in. Serenity is found by simply setting reasonable goals for yourself and doing what you can to achieve them and no more. I am grateful for another day to get better.
The reminder for me is a gratitude for life, health, and family. This weekend found me at my cousin’s home where I enjoy the company of family members, some of whom I had not seen in years. Family is a constant. It is an indelible relationship, but we must nurture those relationships. They are not automatic. I found myself realizing that I knew some relatives much better than others. I know that this is natural but I had to ask myself “What am I doing to get to know this person better?” The answer was “not enough”. So today I just want to say that I love and cherish my family. I enjoyed the fellowship and hospitality and I hope to see you again soon. Life is precious yet finite and there are no guarantees of tomorrow so today I choose to be better by making sure that those closest to me know that I do not take them for granted. For today I encourage each of you out there to express your gratitude for the people in your life today because you will not always have that opportunity. Until next time.
-Chris