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”.
