by : Florilyn Barnhart
What if the very thing causing your greatest frustration is not your situation… but your refusal to accept it?
Many of us spend years fighting realities we cannot change.
We fight our past.
We fight disappointments.
We fight unanswered prayers.
We fight seasons of waiting.
And sometimes, we fight circumstances that God has allowed for a purpose we do not yet understand.
There is a quote from Lao Tzu that says:
“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality.”
While I don’t agree with every philosophy behind that statement, there is a powerful truth hidden within it.
The Bible teaches us that denying reality does not make it disappear.
When Job lost everything, he didn’t pretend his pain wasn’t real.
When David cried out in the Psalms, he didn’t hide his fears.
When Paul sat in prison, he didn’t deny his chains.
They acknowledged reality.
But they also trusted God in the middle of it.
Many people think faith means pretending everything is okay.
Biblical faith is different.
Faith looks reality in the face and says:
“This is hard. This hurts. I don’t understand it. But I still trust God.”
Acceptance is not giving up.
Acceptance is recognizing where you are so God can begin working in your heart where you actually stand.
You may not be able to change your circumstances today.
You may not be able to fix every problem tomorrow.
But you can choose to trust God right where you are.
The peace of God often begins when we stop fighting reality and start surrendering our situation to Him.
As believers, we don’t simply accept life as it comes.
We accept reality while holding on to hope.
Because our hope is not in our circumstances changing.
Our hope is in Christ, who remains faithful even when life doesn’t go the way we planned.
Accept what is. Trust God for what will be. And never lose hope in the One who holds your future.
— Florilyn Barnhart
Called Back to God
