Serenity

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 sat on our bathroom vanity for years. I read it probably 2 or 3 times per day. It never made sense to me, because I did not comprehend the word serenity.

Through a series of events, and a lot of surrender, I finally experienced serenity-inner peace. Once experienced, serenity became my preferred state of mind and the rest of the prayer made sense to me.

I came to know that there are lots of things in my life that I cannot change: people, places, weather and things. However, there are some big things that I can change: myself, my perception, my decision, and my attitude.

Figuring out these two things opened the door to wisdom in my life. I still forget that there are things I cannot change, and sometimes I don't have the courage to change the things I can. But when I do, my life is serene and I feel happiness and joy.

© 2010 by Becky Benes
www.onenessoflife.com