Be Willing to Adapt

“Adapt yourself to the things among which your lot has been cast and love sincerely the fellow creatures with whom destiny has ordained that you shall live.”

—MARCUS AURELIUS

And other seed [of the same kind] fell into good (well-adapted) soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing, and yielded up to thirty times as much, and sixty times as much, and even a hundred times as much as had been sown.

—Mark 4:8

If the song you sing is, “My way or no way,” you are in for a rough life. Of course, there are mild-mannered people who let you have your way just to keep peace, but you may also run into some who won’t do it your way, no matter what. By never learning to take your turn being the one who adapts and adjusts, you’re much more likely to be angry or have someone angry at you. Your life certainly won’t be simple.

A spirit of pride is at the root of unwillingness to adapt and adjust to the desires of others. God tells us in His Word if we will humble ourselves under His mighty hand, He will exalt us in due time (see 1 Peter 5:6). In other words, if we are willing to do whatever is necessary to accomplish the will of God, at the right time, God Himself will lift us to a place beyond anything we could ever do for ourselves.

Getting our own way is highly overrated. We struggle and argue to get what we want, but the truth is we are happier when we live to make others happy rather than catering to ourselves.

It is much simpler to adapt and hold your peace than it is to fight and war and end up in strife. Strife, or conflict, is a result of us trying to get the things we want instead of asking God for them and waiting for His right time (see James 4:1–2).

I struggled with this concept for years but finally decided peace was much more important than pride. I highly recommend that you be ready to adapt if you truly desire to simplify your life.