The Spirit of Acceptance - Coping With Challenges and Difficulties

The fourth of the Principles for life that I encourage (and will be teaching soon) is Acceptance, and this is one of the great learnings for us when we encounter difficulty or challenge, such as bad weather. Acceptance does not mean passivity, however, rather, it is about seeing the situation clearly for what it is, not getting emotional about it, but being pragmatic when we can and doing our best with it.

I have been learning about Acceptance all my life, and have been reminded of it vividly in the last couple of days when we had no running water and little heat due to the extreme cold. It was uncomfortable, but we were more fortunate than some of our neighbours who had no heat or water with young children to care for. On one of these bitter nights I opened a book at random and read the following words:

"To bring calmness to the mind and body requires that at a certain point we be willing to let go of wanting anything at all to happen and just accept things as they are and ourselves as we are with an open, receptive heart. This inner peace and acceptance lie at the heart of both health and wisdom." [Jon Kabat-Zinn]

I laughed when I read this at the end of a long day, but with gratitude for this reminder from Spirit. And the next day, miraculously, the water began to run again.

Something I say often, and believe, is "nothing matters". The phrase can be understood in a number of ways, to do with materialism, the third dimension, illusion and reality, and so on. I have been pondering this morning on how the words apply to the current turbulence in the world, which is, of course, of the greatest significance as it marks and enables the passing of the old and the long-awaited arrival of the new.

This is how I understand it: even the smallest event that occurs on earth is part of the manifestation of the Plan of God. Every such event comes about by human or planetary choice, and so how the Plan develops depends, in detail, upon those choices, which can be neither right or wrong. They are as they are.

In multi-dimensional terms it is the realization of the Plan which is of importance, not how that is achieved. In third dimensional terms, decisions and their results in human and everyday terms are of great moment for the experience, the teaching and the opportunities arising. So, as we watch and are affected by, for example, financial crises, massive oil leaks, political upheavals, volcanic activity, we can know...

About this Author

Claire Montanaro is a skilled and sought after spiritual teacher, speaker, lecturer and author, with a reputation for inspiring and empowering her clients, students and audience. Based in Wales, her heartfelt desire is to assist people to actualize their total connectedness to all that is. Additionally, she offers a global philosophy for living and being in the new age for all seekers of truth. Seven simple yet intensely profound Principles form the core of her teaching, the practice of which embodies the New Consciousness and is a catalyst for One-ness. Her book "Spiritual Wisdom" is published by Piatkus Books. Her website can be found at http://www.inlumino.org where you can read more articles like this in her regularly updated Commentary (blog).

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Claire_Montanaro