God Grant Me The Serenity

Acceptance, Courage, and Wisdom – The Serenity Prayer

God Grant Me The Serenity … The Serenity Prayer. This prayer has been adopted by Alcoholics Anonymous, a prayer I know all too well as my dad lived by this prayer throughout his years of sobriety.

The Serenity Prayer
God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.

And while growing up, I used to think this only applied to alcoholics. But now that I’m older, I’ve learned that the Serenity Prayer can be prayed and applied by everyone in their everyday lives. So what do I mean by this? Let me explain.

GOD GRANT ME THE SERENITY

First of all – what is Serenity? In all simple terms, serenity means “the state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled”. And come on, who doesn’t want serenity in their lives !!

Well, I firmly believe serenity can be granted by following these next 3 phrases: 1) to accept the things I cannot change, 2) the courage to change the things I can, and 3) the wisdom to know the difference.

TO ACCEPT THE THINGS I CANNOT CHANGE

The first things that come to mind about the “things you cannot change,” are the obvious ones – the weather, accidents, deaths … you know where I’m going with this. These are all things that are totally out of our hands.

But what about the things that were once in our hands? Like mistakes, bad decisions, hurtful words, or even sins? Do you think this is what “things you cannot change” means? I do.

You can’t change things that have happened in the past, you can’t change ANYTHING you’ve done prior to today. You need to accept them, own them, and forgive yourself. And most importantly – learn from them.

COURAGE TO CHANGE THE THINGS I CAN

And this is where acceptance and owning up come in. Recognize the way you act, the way you speak, the way you do things, mistakes you’ve made in the past. And if you don’t like what you see – have the courage to change.

It might not be easy, especially if you’ve been set in your ways for a long time. But if you put all your trust in God, He will make all things right if you surrender to His Will.

“Father Jonathan Morris suggests that spiritual discernment is a necessary step if we want to “know the difference” between two ways to live or work or be. He invites us to examine ourselves, our minds and hearts, over a period of time. As we follow one option, do we experience peace and serenity?”(1)

So I really don’t like using the word “discernment” as it was thrown at me time and time again by someone who said they have “righteous indignation” (more words I don’t like). And while I do believe in both when used appropriately, they are still big triggers in my life.

And what I also believe when it comes to discernment, is that one can have the ability to judge well – but prove it by not casting judgment. And when you can’t, then your discernment claim just doesn’t fly.

THE WISDOM TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE

So how do we have “The Wisdom To Know The Difference?” By accepting that there is a connection between the known and the unknown and that we are all a part of a mysterious system. If you’re a Catholic, we already accept this connection when we recite the Nicene Creed right before communion – “We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.”

Now I only mentioned the Church as I’ve been a Catholic all my life. But you can also experience the connection in other ways.

INTUITION AND MEDITATION

Intuition and Meditation are great mediums as they create opportunities to open yourself up to the Universe by being still, being quiet, and just listening.

Listen and follow your intuition. In meditation, listen and follow what your heart and soul are telling you. And even listen (discern before you leap) to what others who have your best interest at heart are telling you. Once you’ve accepted this connection, you can then open yourself up to your unity with it, which will lead you to open yourself up to its wisdom.

Pay attention to the signs that are happening around you and stop trying to control the process. Allow your intuition and the universe, or God if you’re a believer, to guide you. And once you put your faith in the unknown, “the wisdom to know the difference” should become clear as day.

Seeing that I am Catholic, I believe it all boils down to this. I make time, give thanks, and praise God daily. He is the only one who has helped me in my life (more so these past few months), who has helped me not stress over things I cannot control, and who has helped me to listen to my intuition and follow my heart and soul.

I am so very grateful for all my blessings and know that God has always been there for me – guiding me and helping me not worry about things outside my control. And I believe, that right there, shows I have some wisdom to know the difference.

At least for today that is … as I live one day at a time. Blessed Sunday to all

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
forever in the next.
Amen.
Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971)