acceptance

this is actually the name of a pretty decent band. you should listen to them.

when i first heard that was their name... i have to admit, i thought it was weak. I mean, what kind of simple, trite word is that? It's almost as bad as calling a band "Forgiveness" or "Sanctification" which i'm sure are actual names of Christian praise bands somewhere.

i'm starting to see why that word could be more acceptable (no pun intended) as a band name... the word is starting to carry a lot more weight for me with recent life circumstances.
In the same way that 'forgiveness' is not easy, nor is it a state of being to be attained, 'acceptance' is definitely not easy and potentially impossible to attain as a state of being. We so easily will throw out to someone - 'hey, just accept it for what it is.' or, 'you'll just have to learn to accept it.' or, in my case, 'why can't you accept what i'm offering?'

in order for any of us to accept, or better - receive, a gift of any kind, we have to consider our context. The emotional state, the state of our relationships with God, His Church, and our families, state of life circumstance, etc.
for example... I would have a hard time accepting a car from my grandparents - not because i don't want a car, but because i know them and i know their financial means and i know my brother needs a car more than i do and i know i don't 'deserve' such a gift. If they insisted on gifting me, it would be a very, very difficult struggle for me to find a place where i was comfortable with the gift.
in order for us to accept a circumstance, or better - reality, we have to equally consider our context. If my dad chooses to not return my phone calls or share in my life experience, i have to wrestle with accepting that. I DO NOT want to accept how things are. I have to consider, however, my emotional state (and perhaps remove it from the equation). I have to consider my relationship with God, with my pastor and friends who whom i am accountable, to my mom and brother... the condition of my honesty and accountability with these people and this Person(s) will drastically affect my ability to accept the circumstance of my father's actions or lack thereof.

there are other areas in my life where this acceptance thing is coming into effect... just reflecting on it based on things i felt more comfortable illustrating.