Acceptance

I recently ran across a poem by Amy Carmichael, the now-famous missionary to India. The poem was beautiful, but what caught my attention was the repeated phrase, “In acceptance lieth peace.”

That statement came to mind often this week, and I started to realize that so much of the stress or worry or frustration I experience in my daily life really just comes down to a reluctance (and sometimes out-and-out refusal) to accept the things God allows into my life.

It’s a little like the Israelites, brought out of Egypt and promised a land flowing with milk and honey, but when the time came, they were unwilling to accept the terms. Instead of enjoying God’s blessing with the added joy of victory and accomplishment, they ran from the land of milk and honey, preferring the memory of servitude in Egypt to the effort of winning the land God had already promised them.

We often shake our heads, wondering at their lack of faith, but don’t we do the same thing? Whether accident, illness, or even small annoyances like a traffic light that seems to take forever to change, we begin grumbling and refuse the peace of God.

As Christians, we are to “Let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.” (Colossians 3:15) But the peace of God often gets pushed out by our desire to have things our own way.

I received a text recently asking me to tell “what good thing our amazing God did in your life today.” I was challenged by that, because although it had been a pretty good day, it took me longer than I care to admit to think of something specific God did that was “good.” But in my attempt to think of something to say in response to that text, I realized that God had done something very good in specific answer to my prayer.—And I hadn’t even thanked Him!

We so easily get whisked along by the cares and events of our lives, that we often need the gentle rebuke of Jesus’ words to Martha: “thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful…” (Luke 10:41-42)

I was reminded today of this passage from Colossians:

“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” (3:1-3)

For a people dead to this world and risen with Christ to eternal life, we sure do tend to act like this world is all that exists. But we are called to live life as citizens of a heavenly country. (Hebrews 11:16) Like the Israelites, we have been promised victory, but victory can only be ours if we accept that there is a battle for us to fight.

Our daily lives in Christ are to be lived out the same way we first came to Him for salvation: by faith. (Colossians 2:6)

Hebrews 11:6 tells us,

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”

We like God’s promise that He will work all things together for our good, but we don’t like when those things He’s working together run contrary to what we think is good or comfortable. And yet, it is the seeming negatives of life, whether big or small, that grow our faith and show us the perfect faithfulness of God. This explains why James tells us to,

“count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” (1:2-3)

Whether in the little annoyances of disrupted schedules or things not going as planned, or the major life-changing events like the loss of a loved one or a serious diagnosis, we can trust God. When we choose to believe that God knows what He is doing, and that His purpose is our ultimate good, we can have that peace that passeth understanding, which keeps our hearts and minds through Christ. (Philippians 4:7)

This week, as you go through the daily ups and downs of life, take time to stop and think about the loving sovereignty of God, and trust His plan, remembering that,

“In acceptance lieth peace.”

“As for God, His way is perfect; the Word of the Lord is tried: He is a buckler to all them that trust in Him.” Psalm 18:30