The Serenity Prayer is well known in most circles. You can find it printed on
coffee mugs, plaques, tapestries, cards, etc. I’m sure you’re all familiar with
it. “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
cannot begin to count the times I have prayed this prayer. Many times it is
part of my morning devotions. I ask God to give me peace for the day to
accept the things I cannot change. On more than one occasion I have prayed this
prayer under my breath and quickly! When someone was in my face I wanted God to
give me peace to accept what I obviously wasn’t going to be able to change.
To
accept things that we cannot change is hard for us humans. We have conquered
the wildest of rivers with our great dams. We have harnessed the power of the
atom. We have found cures and vaccines for many diseases and continue to make
great strides in every field. The idea of asking God for peace to accept those
things we cannot change is alien to us. Yet there are things I cannot change. I
cannot change people. As much as I would like to I simply cannot make people
love God and turn to him for help. I can show the way. I can preach the way. I
can offer to go with them on the way but I cannot make them change. I cannot
change history either. What has happened is done. Not even God rewrites
history. It stands as a record of the successes and failures of each of us for
all to see. Whether it is people or history or other circumstances, God is able
to give us peace in the midst of the situation.
“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”.
