Acceptance With Joy

Posted on July 27, 2020 by Catey Stover in Victory Call

As I was leaving the Activity Center yesterday, I made a point of looking for a flower that I noticed recently. There’s a pretty little hot pink petunia sticking out of the sand, dirt, and rocks at the end of the walkway where we are installing the memorial bricks.

You need to understand, this is not good soil – it’s mostly sand and gravel. There’s no good reason a flower should be blooming there.  And I’m pretty sure no one planted it.  It’s probably from a seed that either blew there or was dropped by a bird.  Either way, there’s just no good reason that flower should be there.

But every time I see it, I’m reminded of a passage from one of my favorite books, Hinds’ Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard.  There’s a chapter in the book where the main character encounters a flower growing out of a rock, just like the one near the Activity Center. She questions why the flower is there, and the flower tells her its name is “Acceptance with Joy.”  What a great picture of how we should respond to the hardships of life.

In the dry and barren places, in the hard and rocky places, in the lonely and empty places, what is our – what is MY – response?  Do we/I grumble, complain; do we/I argue and accuse? Do we/I become angry, bitter?

OR, do we pause and look up?  Do we remember that nothing comes into our lives without God’s knowledge, permission, and design? And when we remember that, do we – can we – then accept with joy whatever the situation is?  Sometimes, my acceptance looks more like gritting my teeth, hanging on for dear life, hoping the situation passes quickly…and not much like joy. Especially these days, when life looks so much less like what we’re used to, what we expect, what we want it to be.  I need the reminder that as a child of God, I need to accept with joy all that is going on and trust that God is going to use it for my good and His glory (see Romans 8).

I hope that little flower blooms all summer long because each time I see it I am reminded to accept with joy.  My encouragement to you, if you also find acceptance with joy a struggle, to find something that will be your reminder to accept with joy all that comes into your day, knowing that it comes from God’s hands and will be used for your good and His glory.

(By the way, if you’ve never read Hinds Feet on High Places, I highly recommend it!)

 

Written by Ruth Schmidt: Ruth Schmidt has worked at America’s Keswick since 1985. She currently serves as Administrative Assistant to Bill Welte.

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Think About This: “Let God’s promises shine on your problems.” – Corrie Ten Boom

The Daily Bible Reading: Jeremiah 1-4| You can download our 2020 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here. 

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: ¹³ Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ -1 Peter 1:13

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the doctrinal and theological views held by America’s Keswick.