ACCEPTANCE

Acceptance
==========

I believe life is about acceptance. We can sit back and moan
about the raw deal life has given us or we can accept the cards
we have been dealt and make the most of them.

So many times people have asked me how I cope, and truthfully I
have days when I wonder myself amongst the chaos and confusion
that life in our household involves.

I have three children. One is autistic; he is beautiful, smart,
and intuitive in a way that is unique, frustrating, difficult to
understand and I love him.

Another child is undergoing testing for a rare endocrine
disorder which may mean that he will be steroid-dependent to
stay alive. It has been a long time since I have been able to
see him glowing with the health and vitality that we took for
granted six months ago.

I could reject the cards that God has given me but to do that
would be to deny myself the part of me that I am most proud of,
my children. They may have problems that others see as too big
or too difficult, but they are mine. I see their beauty and
their love not just for their family but the greater world
around them. The way they look at the world, the beauty they
see and the gifts that they bring to my life daily make it very
easy to accept the cards dealt to me.

For anyone out there who is going through difficulty and having
trouble seeing the beauty that is there in all our lives, please
have hope and find some time even if for just a few minutes to
count the multitude of blessings that God has given us in so
many ways.

The issues that are concerning you may not go away; but by
accepting them into your life as a part of it and remembering
the multitude of blessings we receive in other ways helps you to
grow stronger.

It is so much easier to accept the blessings but strength and
peace comes from accepting both the blessings and the challenges
we are given.

~A MountainWings Original by Sue N., Australia~

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BLESSINGS WE MAY NOT RECOGNIZE

1. If you own a Bible, you are abundantly blessed – about 1/3 of the world
does not have access to one.

2. If you wake up each morning with more health than illness, you are
blessed to rise and shine, to live and to serve in a new day.

3. If you have anyone on the planet, just one person that loves you and
listens to you; count this as a blessing.

4. If you can freely attend a church meeting without fear, then you are
more blessed than over 1/3 of the world.

5. If you have a yearning in your heart to parent a child, you are
blessed because you still desire what you cannot see.

6. If you pray today or any day, you are blessed because you believe in
God’s willingness to hear your prayer.

7. If you pray for someone else, you are blessed because you want to help
others also.

8. If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over
your head, and a place to sleep; all at the same time; you are rich in this
world;

9. If you have a brother or sister in Christ that will pray with you and
for you, you benefit from a spiritual unity, bond, and agreement, which the
gates of hell cannot stand against.

10. If you have any earthly family that even halfway loves you and supports
you, you are blessed beyond measure.

11. If you attend a church with a church family that offers you one word of
encouragement, you are blessed with some form of fellowship.

12. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, or some spare change in
a dish someplace you are among the world’s wealthy.

13. If you can go to bed each night, knowing that God loves you, you are
blessed beyond measure.

14. If you try each day to imitate our Lord Jesus Christ for even a minute,
you are blessed because you show a willingness to grow up in Him.

15. If you can read this message, you are more blessed than about 1/3 of
the world who cannot read at all.

16. If you have never had to endure the hardship and agony battle,
imprisonment, or torture, you are blessed in indescribable measure.

17. If you have a voice to sing His praises, a voice to witness God’s love,
and a voice to share the gospel, you are blessed. About 1/3 of the world do
not even know who the one true God is.

18. If you can hold someone’s hand, hug another person, touch someone on
the shoulder, you are blessed because you can offer God’s healing touch.

19. If you can share a word of encouragement with someone else, and do it
with His love in your heart, you are blessed because you have learned how to
give.

20. If you have the conviction to stand fast upon His Word and His
promises, no matter what, you are blessed because you are learning patience,
endurance, and tenacity.

21. If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly
thankful, you are blessed because most people can, but many will not.

May God Bless You And Keep You Safe.

– Author Unknown