The Act of Acceptance

My handy dandy built in dictionary defines acceptance (in part) as the realization of a fact or truth and the process of coming to terms with it… the toleration of something without protest… a willingness to believe that something is true…

Does forgiveness mean acceptance?

To forgive  • verb (past forgave; past part. forgiven) 1. stop feeling angry or resentful towards (someone) for an offence or mistake. 2. excuse (an offence, flaw, or mistake).

Father Thomas Hopko writes:

"The central act of forgiveness and one that indicates spiritual maturity in every case without exception is the forgiveness of the parents… The reason that we can't forgive is that we don't want to face the rage and pain, to admit what really happened… One must experience in full the pain of the actual harm that was done… That's the block for most people. It has to be gone through again and again, and layer after layer has to come up." (Hopko quoted in Life's Companion by Christina Baldwin, p. 200)

"Forgiveness in the spiritual work we do to keep our souls free… Forgiveness requires that we explore a situation until we more clearly see how estrangement occurred, including our part in its occurrence." (Christina Baldwin, Life's Companion)

And then, of course there is Eckhart Tolle who writes: "…Most people carry a large amount of unnecessary baggage, both mental and emotional, throughout their lives. They limit themselves through grievances, regret, hostility, guilt. Their emotional thinking has become their self, and so they hang on to the old emotion because it strengthens their identity. Because of the human tendency to perpetuate old emotion, almost everyone carries in his or her energy field an accumulation of old pain, which I call 'the pain body.'" (A New Earth, p. 140)

I'm not sure why I've put these quotes together in one post. Do I agree wholeheartedly with these wise voices? I'm not sure. I feel the intellectual part of myself nod thoughtfully. I feel my spirit laughing while rolling my eyes. Cages, labels, this is how you do it. Go back to the definition – everyone is looking for the "process of coming to terms with it." or a way to "stop feeling anger." High roads, low roads… what is my path to acceptance?

What does forgiveness and acceptance mean to you? I'd really like to know.