Things I Cannot Change

 

Lately, I’ve been reflecting on the Serenity Prayer. I'm sure most are familiar with it.  It's a popular gift item in Christian bookstores that's been displayed in many homes throughout the years.  Although the prayer itself isn’t in the Bible, there are things we can learn from it.  

The original, lengthier version has been mostly attributed to theologian Reinhold Niebuhr who was said to have first used it in a message from the early 1930s and then popularized by one of his colleagues, Winnifred Wygal.  There has since been lots of speculation as to who the original author was and if Niebuhr had actually heard it from someone else before and just forgotten.  Regardless of who wrote it or when, the simple prayer serves as a reminder of biblical lessons for our everyday life. Ones that I desperately need to remember.   

• The serenity to accept the things I cannot change. Serenity: calm or peaceful. There are many circumstances and situations that we have no control over.  They're happening or have already happened, and we have no choice but to just accept them.  

• The courage to change the things I can. The things we can change sometimes require courage and almost always require strength. Especially if that needed change may be our attitude toward situations or even toward other people. This is where it’s most important to remember where our strength comes from. Not within ourselves, but from the Lord.

• The wisdom to know the difference. This is the one I struggle with the most. I've been reminded lately of the importance to pray for wisdom. The opposite of the word wise is...unwise or foolish. That means hanging onto or worrying about things that we can't change, would be foolish. That's difficult to hear because sometimes it's harder to let go of the things we can't change than it is to actually change the things we can.  Knowing the difference between the two is essential. The author of this prayer (whoever it was) knew this. Which in my opinion, makes that last part the most significant of all.

Therefore, don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. -Matthew 6:34

He gives strength to the weary and strengthens the powerless. -Isaiah 40:29

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt... -James 1:5-6

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