April 13, 2005

Accept What Is and Let Go of What Is Not

Humility is to make a right estimate of oneself.
- Charles Haddon Spurgeon

What does it take to come to the place where we can exchange pride for humility? First we must stop the blasphemous charade of pretending that we are no good. "I'm worthless" has often been spoken in the name of humility. But these words, or any other words that express the same sentiment, are a self-indulgence and a cop-out.

The essence of humility is summed up in the Serenity Prayer: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.

Humility is truth. To be humble is to know the truth about our limits, to recognize what can be changed, and to accept that all good things are possible with the help of our Higher Power.

Excessive pride prohibits acceptance because it prohibits the truth, and the truth is that some things are unchangeable. Refusal to accept that truth gets us plenty of frustrations and anger - and no humility at all.

Today, I humbly ask God for the wisdom to accept what is and to let go of what isn't.

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Today's meditation comes from the book
Days of Healing, Days of Joy
Daily Meditations for Adult Children
by Earnie Larsen & Carol Larsen Hegarty C 1987
http://Open-Mind.org/Daily/Reading/34.htm

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