![]() ![]() This prayer has become closely associated with 12 Step programs, offering strength and calm in pursuit of a more stable life.įirst, through uttering these words, we are acknowledging God’s existence and recognizing that He is truly the only one who can bring us inner peace regardless of chaotic circumstances. The words have special meaning to those who are often “looking for peace” at a time of turmoil, despair, or uncertainty in their lives. That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it So that I may be reasonably happy in this lifeĪnd supremely happy with You forever in the next.God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change Ĭourage to change the things I can and wisdom to know the difference.Īccepting hardships as the pathway to peace Trusting that You will make all things right There is serenity in knowing that in the end, God will make all things right.Īccepting hardship as a pathway to peace There is love in accepting the world as it is. But he did not accept the sinful world as it is he came to change the world and to testify to the truth. This part of The Serenity prayer points to a path to spiritual growth. The last part of The Serenity Prayer is: taking, a s Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it trusting that You will make all things right if I surrender to Your will. Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance perseverance, character and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we stand. If I lose my life, I can say, it is well, it is well with my soul. I am not afraid of anything that can kill my body because it cannot kill my soul. I have peace with God through my Lord Jesus Christ. I believe that hardships and struggles and failure are a pathway to character. The one thing I disagree with in Reinhold Niebuhr’s Prayer of Serenity is the idea that we should accept hardships as a pathway to peace. I’ve even taken up watching and listening to the birds in my backyard. During the pandemic, I have been enjoying my quiet time in the morning with a cup of coffee before I head to the gym or my home office. These moments of joy are the spice of life. As Jesus said, each day has enough trouble of its own.Įven in difficult times, there are moments of joy – moments that should be treasured. But there is no point in living my life for tomorrow. And I pin my hopes on something in the future (my retirement). Instead of living for today, I anticipate and worry about the challenges I will face tomorrow. I have to admit that I am a natural born worrier. Millions of people have lost their jobs and face financial hardship. Millions of people have been infected already and the death toll rises daily. Many of us are living under stay-at-home orders, perhaps working remotely, keeping a safe six feet distance from other people, and wearing masks in public. Is this not a perfect prayer for times such as these? Our lives have been disrupted by a pandemic. God grant me the serenity to live one day at a time. But there is much more to The Serenity Prayer than the lines I’ve memorized.Īccepting hardships as the pathway to peace. ![]() The first part of the prayer encourages people like me to change the things we can control and to accept the things we can’t. God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. I know the first four lines of The Serenity Prayer by heart. Oh, how I pray for serenity, that blessed state of being at peace and untroubled when things aren’t the way I want them to be. I wish the artist had used the words Serenity and Peace or Serene and Peaceful. Yet in my perfectionist mind, the noun Serenity and adjective Peaceful don’t go together. There is nothing more serene to my land-locked mind than a rare, blissful walk on the beach. One of the pictures has the word Serenity on it and the other has the word Peaceful. Several years ago, I bought pictures of seashells for a bathroom we remodeled in a seafoam color that reminds me of the ocean. ![]()
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