March 21 – Accepting Life As It Is
The single most important element in any spiritual life is to learn how to accept what is right in front of you today. Richard Rohr
Gregg’s Reflection
There was a season in my life when I measured my peace by how well things were going according to my plans. If life flowed smoothly, I felt calm. If things broke down, I lost my footing. I thought the goal was to keep everything under control so that I could remain centered.
Over time, God has taught me something different — peace comes not from controlling life but from surrendering to it. Accepting life as it is doesn’t mean I have to like everything that happens. It means I trust that God is at work in every circumstance, even those I would never choose. When I stop insisting that reality conform to my desires, I become freer to engage it with wisdom, creativity, and love.
The saints and mystics remind us that resistance to reality creates unnecessary suffering. Acceptance is not passivity — it is the starting place for faithful action. When I begin with “yes” to what is, I am more able to move toward what can be.
Scripture
I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:11–13
Ancient Quotes
Peace is not found in a place free from trouble, but in the midst of it, with a heart free from the trouble.
Saint Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life, Part IV, ch. 13
Modern Quotes
The single most important element in any spiritual life is to learn how to accept what is right in front of you today.
Richard Rohr, Everything Belongs, p. 16
Journaling Prompts
- Where are you currently resisting what is?
- What fears or desires lie beneath your resistance?
- How might accepting this situation change your response?
- What would it look like to move forward in faith from a place of acceptance?
👉 Go deeper into this week’s theme:
Read the full Week 12 Reflection: Equanimity