I learned this early on, was crucial for myself.

Can anyone else relate?

Wow Gim awesome post!!! I need to work on acceptance and it's so difficult for me to do..I would probably be a lot happier if I could this..

Yes! Hard knocks sometimes, though. I always kept the little blue Acceptance pamphlet with me. I think I need a new one. :)

Thanks for posting this.

~Chris

Accepting yesterday as it was and I can't do anything about it, today as it is not what I think it should be, and understand what I do in the NOW will effect my tomorrow.

Okay, so I believe in G-d and I believe the bible. The war has been won so why do we continually have to battle with the deceiver. It pisses me off. I think we deserve a break. I also do not believe in coincidences. I know G-d has a plan but many times I have no idea what that plan is or why things are happening. I will continue to have faith that He knows what He is doing. I accept I am powerless but it doesnt stop me from trying to make it happen my way in my time, with no success. You would think I would eventually get that through my head.

Shawn

Now this quote (that is so well liked in AA) is one thing I cannot entirely agree with and it is taken from one of the personal stories at the back of the Big Book.

If I took it literally it would throw up all sorts of bizarre situations. I understand the sentiment but it is not true in my experience.

What about free will? God gave us free will to choose to do His will or take our chances with our own. Would I not take action if something wrong was happening and I could stop it? Or would I "accept that person, place, thing or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment?" It doesn't make much sense to me - it smacks of fatalism.

The answer to all my problems today is to live a spiritual life, change what needs to be changed and accept the things I cannot change, hopefully having the wisdom to know the difference! That is what my Serenity Prayer and the programme part of the Big Book tell me and I prefer to follow that.

Yep- WWS and I tossed a few around on this. I may have to accept something for what it is. I don't have to like, support or condone it. But neither to I have to get my panties in a wad over it...

Gaily, I agree with what you say however I am going to put a little twist to it.
Something happens AT THIS MOMENT. BANG. Now, what can I do about that moment, it's now in the past. I have to accept that it happened and I can do nothing about what happened. I CAN however make a CHOICE on whether I allow it to happen to ME me AGAIN. I can choose to stay in the situation but if it happens again that is now my fault because I chose to stay OR I can choose to remove myself thus not setting myself up for it to happen again and remain aware of how the experience effected me. I can also face the situation, explain my thoughts and feelings and set boundaries. All three are choices and what ever the outcome I must accept that as well.

One thing I have found out, in my experience, is in every place, thing or situation there is another person. An act of God (or nature) withstanding (and even then the aftermath involves other people).

So, the truth is we can accept them as they are, attempt to redirect them, or leave them all together. Again, as you said it comes to choice and having to accept that choice.

As I share every time this gets posted, I dont agree with this statement.

Sometimes I am disturbed by things because they are disturbing. It is if I am not disturbed by those things that there is something wrong with me.

I do not have to accept that things are the way they are meant to be. I have to accept they are as they are but but not that that is the right way for them to be.

Of course things happen in the world by mistake. Even if you believe that god has a plan we all know about self will and doing things that are not gods will. If even living on self will is part of gods plan then everything is spiritual which makes no sense. Why would I need to bother aligning my will with anything if everything is gods plan anyway.

To me I cannot embrace these things for my recovery. They are way to passive for me. It really implies that it doesnt matter what I say, do, try to do etc because everything is gods plan anyway so I in that case am nothing more than a puppet following gods predestined path.

Look back over history at people who have made a difference. What would have happened if they had said - well its me thats disturbed these things are the way they are meant to be. They wouldn't have done what they did. They wouldnt have been involved in trying to change things. I for one am glad thats not how they felt.