What Would Love Do?
“Accept – then act. Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it.”
—Eckhart Tolle
Life is an unfolding process.
Daily routines give us a sense of comfort and security, but we never know what each day will bring. We can make predictions based on past experiences, but inevitably life challenges us in unexpected ways.
Difficulties can show up in your relationships and at work. Hardship can be initiated by loss, illness, injury and by the likes of living through a pandemic. Your challenge is to navigate through these trying times, grow in love, adapt, and gain wisdom from them.
The process of moving through the trials and tribulations of life is not easy. To do so requires you to accept what life has presented. Acceptance does not mean that you like what you are having to confront. It means that you see the truth and reality of a situation. Instead of fighting against the current of life, you move with it.
Once you accept life as it is, you can determine how to best respond to it. Assessing whether you have the power to change a situation and what actions you can take are necessary steps in determining your response. If the situation is beyond your control, letting go of how you want it to be is the way to peace.
Being stuck in traffic is a common experience that illustrates something beyond your control. You can rage at traffic, which only puts strain on your body and mind and on those who are in the car with you. Or you can breathe and accept that life has slowed you down.
Though you cannot change a situation like traffic, you do have the power to choose how to respond to life’s uncontrollable events. When emotions such as rage arise, it is important to look within and listen to your body. Beneath your rage lie other feelings. Ones, such as helplessness or despair, that you may be avoiding by focusing your attention outwardly. When you can identify and accept what is truly at the root of your rage, you can tend to the place within you with kindness and compassion.
The Serenity Prayer beautifully encapsulates the importance of knowing what you can and cannot change.
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.
The feeling of being “stuck” can be a signal that you are fighting against a certain reality, something you do not want to accept. What would it be like if you could let go of wanting it to be otherwise?
The question I ask myself in these situations is, “What would love do?”
Love inevitably responds in a way that allows me to relax. Love says things like, “Breathe”, “Let it be”, “Listen” and “Let go”. Love empowers me to accept what I cannot change and gives me the courage and the wisdom to change the things I can. Love can do this for you too. You only need to ask.