Growing up with pets I remember two distinct responses both our cats and dogs would have whenever they were restricted in space. Whether gated in a room or a kennel space, they would either resist the limitation of their environment by fighting it or relishing in it. Resistance looked like growling and clawing at the door by the cats or jumping up and down and barking by the dogs. The relishing looked like finding a smaller niche to curl into by the cats and running around playfully even if in circles by the dogs. While I am not sure that cats and dogs have a mindset or a biological imperative to fall into one of two responses, it appeared as though they made a choice on how to handle their limitation. It makes me think of how we as human beings handle limitations. Our clawing, growling, barking, and jumping up and down has more of a verbal context but there is no mistaking when we are resisting limitation. Relishing our limitations seems to be somewhat dependent on whether they are self-imposed or not. What appears to be a limitation placed on us by outside forces is very often self-imposed. Given that we always have a choice on how to handle any limitation (much like animals do), the truth of any limitation is the degree to which we believe it is true for us. We have the advantage or disadvantage of talking ourselves into or not. We can choose to accept a limitation by using it to define ourselves or we can resist it by finding a way to relish in it. All we need is a little creativity. I am reminded of something that occurred to me early on in recovery. The idea of acceptance is a key concept in recovery. I learned through experience that understanding while fascinating is not the gateway to freedom, acceptance is. But I hit a bump when I am not able to accept something or someone. When I am not able to accept what I cannot change, what happens then? In a moment of clarity or as I often like to think of it, a moment when Spirit whispered in my ear, I asked myself what in this situation, this perceived limitation of acceptance can I accept? It dawned on me in that moment. I can accept that I do not accept it. Ha! Too simple to be conjured up by my analytical mind. I could create a nudge through the perceived limitation by accepting that for today, I accept that I cannot accept [insert whatever it is that day]. By pausing and listening, by breathing and quieting my analytical mind stuck in the endless cycle of how this limitation is not acceptable I was able to be with me as God is with me. It is what God shows me each day on our daily date. The way I am being with me is in accepting all of what is true about me and my view of my circumstances in this moment.
Are we willing to pause and explore creative ways to accept the limitations we find ourselves in today?
dailydatewithgod 
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