Allow - Denia Bradshaw

A few years ago, I listened to a Tara Brach podcast episode and took note of this poem she read when referencing control and acceptance. Tara Brach is a psychologist and meditation teacher that often uses poetry, stories, Buddhist teachings, quotes, and sometimes even humor into her teachings, talks, and guided meditations. Often, I’ll review notes from “tools” like this podcast and the poem shared in it, (which I’ll include below) to help center and ground myself. I truly love and am appreciative of the art form of poetry. This is Allow by Danna Faulds: 

There is no controlling life.
Try corralling a lightning bolt,
containing a tornado. 

Dam a stream and it will create a new channel. 

Resist, and the tide
will sweep you off your feet.
Allow, and grace will carry
you to higher ground. 

The only safety lies in letting it all in –
the wild and the weak; 

fear, fantasies, failures and success.
When loss rips off the doors 

of the heart, or sadness veils 

your vision with despair, 

practice becomes simply bearing the truth.
In the choice to let go of your
known way of being, the whole
world is revealed to your new eyes.

I love how grace is framed. To me, that grace is God

Resist, and the tide

will sweep you off your feet.

Allow, and grace will carry

you to higher ground.

How often do we try to control outcomes, situations, and even people in our lives? And then on the other end of the spectrum, how much do we really accept in terms of outcomes, situations, and people? 

I think too, it’s important to remember that when we do struggle with acceptance - an approach of gentleness, kindness, and compassion is crucial and maybe even, a good first step to acceptance. These, I would say, are very much fruits of the spirit. 

But the fruit produced by the Holy Spirit within you is divine love in all its varied expressions: joy that overflows, peace that subdues, patience that endures, kindness in action, a life full of virtue, faith that prevails, gentleness of heart, and strength of spirit. Never set the law above these qualities, for they are meant to be limitless.

Galatians 5:22-23 TPT

[The] …practice

becomes simply bearing the truth.