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Spirituality And Learning To Accept The World

One of the most inspiring and empowering prayers is the Serenity Prayer. It is all about taking life for what it is and accepting the things that are out of our control. While this is a lot easier said than done, over time you can re-train your thinking in order to have a much more fulfilling life. Remember, it's okay to strive for the best versions of ourselves but we must also accept that we all carry faults and make mistakes.

The Key to Acceptance and Love

Acceptance is a form of discipline and whether you consider yourself to be Christian or even simply 'spiritual' because you aren't quite sure what you believe, learning to accept the world and those who surround us can help us lead much happier lives. To be able to fully accept those around us, we must first be able to accept ourselves and this is probably the biggest struggle many of us face. Being able to say you love yourself is a tough one for many people; but how can you love others if you cannot love yourself? In order to truly be loving and accepting of oneself, you must be in touch with who you are. This means, literally breaking down all those walls that you may have built and starting from the ground up; admitting to your deepest, darkest secrets, regrets; anything that may be hovering over your head in the form of guilt, your fears and so forth. Once you get to a point in your life where you can say 'I am proud of who I am and I love myself completely,' you have made the progress that many strive for their entire lives.

Learn to Lean on One Another

Tragedies and other things we do not like are going to happen. It is our faith, no matter what religion we may or may not be, and our desire and drive to go on that allows us to take a step back and realize sometimes there is nothing we can do. Reaching out to those who care for us most is one of the best things that can be done in order to get through a difficult time. There is always a light at the end of that tunnel.

Releasing Control and Redirecting It

Letting go of control is another really tough one for many people, especially those who are new to practicing acceptance. It is only human nature to want to control things around us. Maybe you want to make everyone happy or you wish you could feed all the hungry children of the world. While that is a great thought, it is one that haunts people regularly and they find themselves feeling guilt or anger because so much of the world seems out of their control. Realizing that there are always going to be things outside of our control is difficult but when you find yourself feeling like it is all just too much, close your eyes and think, or speak aloud to yourself. Allow yourself to feel the way you are feeling. No one can make themselves stop feeling sad or hurt instantly and you shouldn't try to do so. Your initial reaction is going to happe, but it's what you do with those feelings that makes all the difference in the world. Just because you feel like yelling at your loved one, for example, doesn't mean you have to act upon that. Instead, you can choose to take a breather, leave the room and come back once you head is clear.

We are in far more control over our actions than many of us choose to believe. Go ahead, give it a try, even if just for a week. Focus on a few things you would like to change about yourself. Maybe you want to react differently to your father and answer his calls more often, or maybe you want to practice saying 'no' instead of feeling pressured to say 'yes' when your friends want you to drive them around. The smallest things can greatly impact our lives and give us other forms of control; which will in turn make the world not seem so out of control.

Don't Seek Perfection, Seek Happiness

If you look around at society as a whole, it is no wonder so many people are unhappy. So much importance is placed on who has the best car, the hottest girlfriend, the most money; these types of material things can only get you so far. At the end of the day, if you are not leading a life that makes you happy and you do not have people around you who love you unconditionally (minus all the money, cars, diamonds) then you are bound to feel pretty lost. Instead of reaching for 'perfection' (everyone's definition of perfection is uniquely their own, anyway), set a goal to be happy and to be the best you that you can be. Enjoy the little things and the rest will follow.

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About the Author

Kathy Moore is a very spiritual person. When she is not busy working, she likes spending time with her family or reading books. She mostly reads spiritual or catholic books

Disclaimer:

The above guest post is published based on the premise that it will be helpful and informative. The opinions made within it are those of the author and not of sunnyray.org. The links you may find within this post do not necessarily imply our recommendation or endorsement of the views expressed within them.

Comments:

Pam says:
03-01-2016

When I had no one in my life I turned to God and he became everything my mother, father, brother, sister, partner and best friend, after that I was never alone. It was the most precious gift was enlightenment, this is the true treasure, it is full of riches and I hope we all can have that gift too.

sunnyray says:
03-01-2016

So nicely put Pam. Thank you so much for sharing this. May everyone's life be filled with God's love and light all the time. Many blessings, sunnyray.

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