Not 31 days but 13
I am too late to work 31 days into the rest of the month and there is no way that 13 days is sufficient to discuss the topic I have chosen but I trust God will give me the words for the time I have.
The Serenity Prayer has a special place in my prayer life. It has been a life preserver during the most tumultuous storm in the life of our family. It claims a special place in the gadgets on my blog, on the walls in our home, the books we read and even on the tattoos my daughter wears. The words speak what the spirit longs for; serenity, peace and wisdom. Interestingly, the original version mentions one thing the more modern does not - grace. It is only through grace that we can attain serenity, peace and wisdom.
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;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen. God, give me grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, Courage to change the things which should be changed, and the Wisdom to distinguish the one from the other. Living one day at a time, Enjoying one moment at a time, Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace, Taking, as Jesus did, This sinful world as it is, Not as I would have it, Trusting that You will make all things right, If I surrender to Your will, So that I may be reasonably happy in this life, And supremely happy with You forever in the next. Amen
Could you use a little more of any of these things? If you were to take some time to sit quietly and consider your life would you feel these things? There's a lot of talk about joy these days. Do you know what joy really feels like? Would you like to take time to be very intentional in discovering or re-discovering joy in your life?
Let me ask you this: do you have resentments toward anyone in your life? Are you experiencing jealousy over things you would be too embarrassed to admit? Do you have a list of things that you procrastinate about that continue to haunt you and you keep them stuffed in your emotional closet? Do you have days when you just feel overwhelmed, sad, lonely (even though you live in a house full of other people - some you love and maybe some not so much)? Do you remember the last time you did something that you love to do - just because you love to do it - for yourself? Do you have a friend that you could tell every single thing about yourself and know that you would be safe? Have you said something about someone that you wouldn't want them to know you said? When the phone rings do you hesitate to answer it and you're not quite sure why? Have you used the words "you should, you need to, you have to" recently? Have you yelled at another driver on the road knowing that they cannot possibly hear you and then felt irritated or ashamed because your children/passengers were afraid or corrected you?
You're probably wondering what any of these have to do with one another but I promise you they do have common roots.
Let's just ponder the words of the Serenity Prayer for a while. I'll be back tomorrow.
The Serenity Prayer has a special place in my prayer life. It has been a life preserver during the most tumultuous storm in the life of our family. It claims a special place in the gadgets on my blog, on the walls in our home, the books we read and even on the tattoos my daughter wears. The words speak what the spirit longs for; serenity, peace and wisdom. Interestingly, the original version mentions one thing the more modern does not - grace. It is only through grace that we can attain serenity, peace and wisdom.
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;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.
Could you use a little more of any of these things? If you were to take some time to sit quietly and consider your life would you feel these things? There's a lot of talk about joy these days. Do you know what joy really feels like? Would you like to take time to be very intentional in discovering or re-discovering joy in your life?
Let me ask you this: do you have resentments toward anyone in your life? Are you experiencing jealousy over things you would be too embarrassed to admit? Do you have a list of things that you procrastinate about that continue to haunt you and you keep them stuffed in your emotional closet? Do you have days when you just feel overwhelmed, sad, lonely (even though you live in a house full of other people - some you love and maybe some not so much)? Do you remember the last time you did something that you love to do - just because you love to do it - for yourself? Do you have a friend that you could tell every single thing about yourself and know that you would be safe? Have you said something about someone that you wouldn't want them to know you said? When the phone rings do you hesitate to answer it and you're not quite sure why? Have you used the words "you should, you need to, you have to" recently? Have you yelled at another driver on the road knowing that they cannot possibly hear you and then felt irritated or ashamed because your children/passengers were afraid or corrected you?
You're probably wondering what any of these have to do with one another but I promise you they do have common roots.
Let's just ponder the words of the Serenity Prayer for a while. I'll be back tomorrow.
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