In acceptance lieth peace. ~Amy Carmichael

To continue my Thanksgiving series, I am also thankful for the many things God uses daily to uplift my soul, and recently He has used the wisdom of Amy Carmichael to draw me closer to Himself. The quote listed above is one of my favorites from Amy, and one that God has brought to my attention many times as of late.

Accepting circumstances is pivotal to being thankful with any situation. For example, if I continue to live in the lands of “what ifs” or “What I hope will be,” it makes me not appreciate the now. I firmly believe that God can use any circumstance (no matter how dismal it may seem) for His good and glory! Therefore, we need to accept where God has us and embrace his peace to fully live the way He intends.

I will forever be grateful for the life of Amy Carmichael, and so blessed that God has used her story to encourage me during this season of difficulty. Aside from Scripture, the most encouraging and uplifting books to read are biographies from the heroes of the faith.

Amy is definitely one of my heroes. She devoted her life to ministry in India and was no stranger to physical pain. In fact she spent more than twenty years of her life homebound and bedridden due to a fall that later resulted in many other health problems. Despite her limitations, she did not live bound by her circumstances. She exuded the joy of Christ and encouraged many all over the world with her letters and writings. She was completely at peace with her life and situation even though it was not always easy, and this attitude came from accepting where God had her. I do want to clarify that by acceptance I don’t mean give up or quit trying. However, there are times when the best thing we can do for Jesus, ourselves, and the future is accepting the season we are in.

I want to challenge you (as well as myself) to accept where you are today and surrender all to the Lord. Whether you are in a tough season or a joyful one accept God’s peace today and even if it’s hard focus on what is good and allow yourself to live in the freedom that comes along with complete acceptance and surrender. What seems to be the worse of situations could later be one of your biggest blessings and joys. Do not spend the holidays weighed down with worry, doubt, and discontentment. Nothing good comes from doing those things. Trust me, I know. Instead fill your mind with the Word daily, read encouraging books, or turn on some praise music. Love Jesus and accept the life and peace He so desires to give you! There is nothing better than that!

To read other posts from this series visit here.