An Attitude of Acceptance

The scriptures remind us in so many ways how much God knows about us and how little we understand ourselves. Maybe today we could go to the source for our self-understanding. God, hear our cries!

While mindfulness encourages us to dis-identify with our thoughts, meditation does not. Meditators encourage us to simply observe, observe, observe. We are asked to observe our thoughts, feelings and body sensations. The only real caveat is that we are encouraged to have an attitude of acceptance and loving kindness toward ourselves. It is a simple way to practice surrender to God. I usually start my daily quiet time like this: “God, I am sitting here in acknowledgement of my reality: you are God and I am not.” Some days, that is all I need to say. Research studies are reporting that meditation is highly effective in the intervention of use disorders. It has also proven effective in the treatment of chronic pain, anxiety disorders and depression. Tiger spends an unhappy day thinking that his parents, friends, and school mates do not like him. How would this affect your mental health if you thought the world was out to get you? What difference would it make in your life if you looked through the lens of abundance rather than being shackled to the law of scarcity?

God makes everything come out right;

he puts victims back on their feet.

He showed Moses how he went about his work,

opened up his plans to all Israel.

God is sheer mercy and grace;

not easily angered, he’s rich in love.

He doesn’t endlessly nag and scold,

nor hold grudges forever.

He doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve,

nor pay us back in full for our wrongs.

As high as heaven is over the earth,

so strong is his love to those who fear him.

And as far as sunrise is from sunset,

he has separated us from our sins.

As parents feel for their children,

God feels for those who fear him.

He knows us inside and out,

keeps in mind that we’re made of mud.

Psalm 103:6-14, The Message