Serenity: the state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled.
This "state of being" is something that we can work on and strive for, and one that God and the Bible can help us realize. There is a rather famous poem/ prayer that I think about to help me stay focused.
God, grant me the serenity
To accept the things that I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And the wisdom to know the difference.
- Credited to Reinhold Niebuhr
What an amazing prayer. Let's break this down a little bit:
| Serenity prayer with a few more lines. |
God, grant me the serenity
To accept the things that I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And the wisdom to know the difference.
- Credited to Reinhold Niebuhr
What an amazing prayer. Let's break this down a little bit:
- Grant me the serenity to accept the things that I cannot change: There are things in this life that we cannot control and to be able to accept that is a step in the right direction. Life has enough pressure, stress and worries that we do not need to add to them.
- To have the courage to change the things I can: There are times that something needs to change; whether that be our actions, our environment, our thoughts. . . and they are not going to change themselves. The change is not always going to be easy or feel good, but if that's what you feel is right, we need the courage to make that change.
- To have the wisdom to know the difference: This is the toughest one... how in the world do we know the difference in the moment. It's impossible to know for sure, but with prayer and faith in God, you have something to refer to while trying to decipher the two.
Lets dig into the Bible a little bit to see some verses about turning to Him, tough times and worrying:
Psalm 32: 8- I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go, I will counsel you and watch over you.
1 Peter 5:7 - Cast your cares upon the Lord, for He cares about you.
Psalm 27:5 For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in his dwelling; He will hide me in the shelter of His tabernacle and set me high upon a rock.
Matthew 6:27- Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
So when times feel rough and you are down, think about this prayer and how much God is in control. All we have to do is give our problems and issues to Him. This is not to say that we get the answer we always want (we all know that isn't true), but that He will guide us through whatever it is.
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