When I Accept That Life Is Difficult, It’s Easier

Last month, I had the pleasure of eating dinner at the home of a generous, gracious, and dynamic couple who run a thriving business together. The hospitality of their family was beautiful and the creativity and zeal with which they are working on projects to renew their community continues to inspire me. 

On the wall of this family, there was a framed mission statement that the father had written. In the personal values section, the following line struck me: “When I accept that life is difficult, it’s easier.” I’m not advocating for masochism or needless suffering; however, it seems to me that there is wisdom in this. Some things in life require sacrifice. When we resist the difficulty present in a work, that inner war is often more emotionally exhausting than when we simply accept it. A friend of mine once shared a story from her life that encapsulates this well. 

She was feeling overwhelmed caring for her three young children. As she changed an endless stream of dirty diapers, she often found herself miserable, wishing that she could do other things instead. She prayed a humble, desperate prayer, “Lord, help me. I can’t do this anymore.” The next day, she found out she was pregnant with twins. Incredibly, she said that this news was the answer to her prayers because it pushed her to fully accept her life as it was in that season. She found that this radical abandonment to the needs of her circumstances made changing diapers and the rest of her life much easier than it was before. 

This week, I invite you to ask yourself: 

What things in my life are difficult right now? For which of these does my resistance to difficulty play a role in making my experience more painful than it needs to be? Where might I be called to more radical acceptance? 

Are there any difficulties for which I might be called to something other than acceptance? That is, are there any I might be tolerating that I am in fact called to change? 

God bless,
Dan