FIGHTING AGAINST REALITY

A man joined a monastery where monks were allowed to only speak two words per year.  After the first year, the novice met with the abbot who asked, "What are your two words for this year?"  He replied, "Food's cold." A year later, when asked to share his two words, he said, "Bed's hard."  Following his third year, he spoke these two words: "I quit!"  His superior replied, "Well, I'm not surprised!  All you've done since you got here is complain, complain, complain!" 

Like this monk, every day we encounter situations we don’t like. Some we can change; others we’re “stuck with.” We have a choice. We can kick and fight against reality, or we can accept what is. It's the essence of the Serenity Prayer. "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." Yet how often do I find myself fighting against reality, rather than accepting the things I can't change? Of course we all face situations of extreme pain. If we lose our health, career or someone we love, it takes time to adjust to reality. But at some point, in order to heal, we accept reality. We may not like it. We may wish it was different. But that doesn't change reality. Reality is reality. "It is, what it is." 

It's not easy. Accepting reality demands surrender. We accept what is, give it to God and trust Him with it. Proverbs 3:5 states, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." The Message reads, "Trust GOD from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own." My wife Linda’s paraphrase is: “Trust in God with all your heart and lean not on your own thoughts of what reality should be in this moment.” 

There's a lot happening in our world right now which we don't like. But we can look for the good in what we’re enduring, or refuse to accept reality. Whining about reality, only makes us and everyone around us more miserable. But if we want to experience God's peace, let’s start by accepting what is. Give it to God. Surrender to Him. And if we only speak two words per year, make certain they're words of encouragement, not complaint.