I am a physician and I had everything that money could buy and still I was NOT living abundantly. The reason that many of us are not LIVING ABUNDANTLY is because we misunderstand what that means. It is not an accumulation of people, places, positions, or possessions. Living abundantly is a STATE of heart, mind, and soul. I struggled to grasp this concept for decades. Everyone can live abundantly; it is a matter of knowledge and choice.

ALLOW IS THE FIRST ‘A’

If you are NOT allowing life to happen, you are controlling or trying to control life. When we try to control life, we end up creating so much unnecessary stress and suffering. Life will happen the way it was meant to happen irrespective of what we do. The only thing we have control over is ‘how we choose to respond.’ If you are responding inappropriately, your life is full of worry, anxiety, fear, and unnecessary stress. You struggle to find daily peace and there is often not much joy or contentment.

When we ALLOW, we let God guide. We allow Him to direct our steps and guide us along the path that He has chosen for each of us. To get to a place where you can allow God to work through and in you is ultimately where we each need to arrive if we desire to live abundantly.

We can allow when we fully TRUST God on every level, then and only then are we able to fully surrender to His will and allow Him to manifest the great plans He has for each of His children.

ACCEPT IS THE SECOND ‘A’

The mindset that accepts is found in anyone who is living abundantly. Learn to accept reality and truth. Learn to accept with compassion and love your human frailties. I was listening to a monk speak recently, and he said something that really resonated. He said, “I came to accept the parts of me that I had detested.” Whatever or whoever has convinced you that you are not fully lovable as a child of God is a liar. Furthermore, it is not only important to accept those parts, but we must also LOVE those parts unconditionally.

Ask God to give you the courage to change the things you can and the wisdom to know the difference. These are some things you need to accept gracefully:

1. God is in control
2. Change takes time
3. Change requires sacrifice
4. You may not ALWAYS feel like it
5. Your journey will have setbacks, detours, and obstacles
6. Not everyone will have your best interest at heart
7. You will make mistakes
8. Sometimes it is a struggle with your flesh

EXAMINE HOW AND WHAT YOU THINK

It is a well-documented fact that we make choices based on our emotional, mental, and spiritual states. Did you realize that our spiritual state is the foundation of every choice we make? Hence the importance for us to BE spiritually healthy. Our beliefs are grounded in our spirituality. As Christians, our beliefs should be grounded in the truth of God’s love, his mercy, and grace. Furthermore, we are children of God created for an amazing purpose. Then we need to think on the truth that God has gifted us with everything we need to live abundantly. He has also promised:

1. Never to give us more than we can bear
2. Never to forsake us
3. Never to fail us
4. Never to stop loving us

What is blocking or preventing you from allowing and accepting fully God’s will for your life?