The Serenity Prayer

"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."

This prayer was posted in my church’s bulletin. It had no author, no book reference, nothing. Just the title called “Serenity Prayer”.

I have it so worked into my mind that “God will provide.”  And He will. But I also have it worked in to my mind that “God has given us the power of free will.” And He has. I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels very confused and tangled up inside about these two truths. How, much am I supposed to do until I’m overdoing something? How long do I need to sit back and wait for God’s provision before I do my part? Do I even need to do something at all? It goes on and on, you get the picture. This is why I felt so convicted when I read this prayer in the bulletin. The courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Yessss! I DO have the power to change things! It may seem very basic and “Duh” to many of you out there but, for me this is something I have really been unsure of for a while. Sometimes, it’s good to be brought back down to the basics. I’ve been so scared to make a decision that I’ve basically been at a standstill. Not moving forward or progressing. I also love the last part of the prayer because; this was the other issue I was having. They kind of go hand in hand in my opinion: ‘I don’t know if I have the power to change things, but if I do how do I know what it is?’ When part of the basic foundation is unsteady, everything else will be too. How could I tell the difference between my decision or God’s decision when I wasn’t even sure I was able to have a decision? I hope that makes sense. Now, at night I’ve been praying this,

“God, what are the things in my life that I have the power to change?”

That’s, it.

So, I strongly encourage all of you out there to pray the Serenity Prayer and ask God yourself about the circumstances that you can shange in your own life! :)