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;
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life
And supremely happy with Him Forever and ever in the next.
Amen.
(prayer attributed to Reinhold Neibuhr, 1892-1971)
Most of us are familiar with the shorter version of The Serenity Prayer, as this widely known prayer is called. Serenity is a state of being peaceful, calm, and undisturbed. I think it’s safe to say that in our modern era, serenity feels impossible. But I feel the longer version offers us a much richer look at the ways we hijack our own serenity. Let’s break down this prayer in phrases and do a little reflection on it. If you can journal some of your reflections, take the time to do that.
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.
It’s hard for me to accept that I cannot change these things….
I need God’s help having the courage to change these things…
These are some situations where I struggle to know if I should apply acceptance or courage…
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
How would living one day at a time and one moment at a time, help you practice and receive serenity? And what situations in your life do you feel prevent this from feeling like an option?
If you accepted that hardship isn’t always a sign that you are doing something wrong, but often just the reality of anyone’s life, how would that help you?
Why might acceptance be a 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;
Often an obstacle to our peace is the internal frustration that things aren’t as we believe they should be. Jesus, it says, took this sinful world as it is, not as He would have it, and in doing so, protected His peace and ours. How would Jesus’ approach make a difference in your serenity?
Surrendering our desires and wishes of what our lives look and feel like, is a monumental act of trust in Jesus and when we do this He makes all things right (and new). Are you willing to make this holy trade-off with Jesus in order to have access to more peace in your life? Why or why not?
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life
And supremely happy with Him Forever and ever in the next.
Amen.
Please do not miss the word reasonably in this phrase.
What do you think reasonably happy looks like? Do you feel our culture encourages us to be reasonable in our pursuit of happiness? Are your ideas of a happy life reasonable?
Can you think of someone you know or just observe, who lives a reasonably happy life?What is it about their life that makes you think this?
This life is not our end story.
It’s just a prequel.
To expect eternal happiness in a temporary land is not reasonable.
Would you rather be reasonably happy here or supremely happy with Jesus in eternity? Process your answer.
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