Life is a process. As the heart of life unfolds like petals before us, each of us reaches for the precious jewel at the center, the jewel of Self-acceptance. For most, Self-acceptance does not come easy. Too frequently we succumb to outer appearances, the "shoulds," and "oughts," and "maybes" of our own, or others expectations. Instead of embracing ourselves with loving kindness, we obsess that we have missed the mark. In the endless pursuit of perfection, we weigh ourselves in the balance, judging everything according to narrow perceptions in our minds. We are not rich enough, attractive enough, intelligent enough, skillful enough, and so forth. Frantically, we attempt to cover up, to catch up, to undue what has been done in our lives. Hoping we are succeeding, despair can beset us, realizing our efforts have only complicated a simple truth. Accept your Self.

At some time in our lives, it is likely that each of us has touched that mysterious something, known as the Self, and referred to here as the Healing Presence. In the midst of our pain a space is created. This space allows us to enter a point of stillness. Here, we surrender. We let go. Outwardly, life may remain the same. The debts may be mounting, the job remains unsatisfying. But, inwardly, something changes. We accept our Selves. We open up.

In the private space found within the deep recesses of our hearts, we renew trust that despite outer appearances, we are worthwhile. Like a close and intimate friend, we learn compassion is available to us without judgment or condemnation. It is not so much a matter of forgiveness, which at some level implies adjusting a perceived wrong behavior. It is reaching towards the mysterious inner revelation, where we are loved and understood so completely, we are simply accepted for who we are, with all the seeming imperfections life in this fragile world can offer us.

How potent this realization. In reaching towards the Self, we reach towards wholeness. We discover any situation has elements which can be wielded for the sake of the Divine. All mistakes, all seeming transgressions, are placed on the alter and seen in their true light. We perceive our fears, our doubts, our worries. We acknowledge each one of these represents a failure to trust the Self, to acknowledge our true identities, to embrace Self-acceptance.

Over time, we realize that pain has come from attachment. The human impulse is to control the direction of ones life. The difficulty with this premise is that human insight is narrow. It cannot perceive the larger whole. Each time we remain ignorant of the whole, for the benefit of the part, it may bring temporary satisfaction, but ultimately it will visit us with long term suffering. This realization is the doorway to wholeness.

Take the time to examine your life's journey. Move deeply into moments where life did not give you what you thought you wanted. The loss of a loved one. The shattering of a dream. The progression of an illness. The onset of age. The injustices and seemingly unfair moments of life. As long as we fail to allow Self-acceptance into these moments, we are caught in a cycle of pain. We grieve, and rage, and resist the truth of these realities.

Move onward. Examine the times when life brought you moments of great joy. Were they solely based upon perceptions of having "gotten something you have wished for?" Or, was there something deeper there? Something more akin to waking up and realizing that ALL human beings only get a fragment of their hearts desires fulfilled. As a collective whole one person's fulfillment, is often at the expense of another person's suffering. As long as we demand from life that it give us only what we believe WE want, we are revealing our darker nature. Our greed, our fears, our anxieties. But, when we transform, when we open up, we look beyond our small lives. We see as part of the collective, it is unreasonable to insist we have it all. We change. "We" become smaller. The whole becomes greater. We open up to Love. We peer out at the timeless panorama of a midnight sky, and confess we simply do not know what is right for us to have and need. We seek to awaken to that broader perspective.

In the stillness of that moment, we touch the Self. It touches us. A sense of calm comes over us. We notice things we have long forgotten. The beauty of the sunrise. The play of light amongst the shadows. The kind words and silent prayers of others too long ignored. The great sacrifices and noble deeds too frequently left unnoticed. The tender moments for gentleness we left behind. This is what the Self would have us remember. This is what we acknowledge and accept. Life in its grace, life in its mercy, life in its joy. Surrender to its mystery and accept!


Dr. Lisa Love is the best-selling author of Beyond the Secret: Spiritual Power and the Law of Attraction, Attracting Real Love: Five Simple Steps for Getting the Love You Want, and Thrive Not Survive!: 20 Steps for Attracting Joy and Abundance in Difficult Times. A Life, Relationship, and Law of Attraction coach with decades of coaching and counseling experience combined with her extensive training and work with clients from all backgrounds helps her clients make shifts in a rapid way. Visit her web site www.doctorlisalove.com for information on her books and coaching and to receive free Ecourse and audio gifts and to sign up for her newsletter.