Anchored in Serenity
Recently, a lovely lady I know posted a question on Facebook, asking if her “friends” had chosen their word for the year. It was a good question. I agree with many researchers who suggest choosing a word rather than making resolutions is a more effective way to begin a new year, nudging people in a direction that aligns with core values and leads to transformational change.
I had a problem with my friend’s question, though. For the past few weeks, not one, but four words keep rattling around in me, and I have been unsuccessful in homing in on one guiding word for 2023. Each word I’ve been pondering begins with “R.”
Wouldn’t you know it, on Saturday, January 7th, the day following Epiphany, yet another “R” word entered the alliteration mix. That word was REMEMBER.
While considering this as I removed ornaments from the tree, I remembered three blog posts I wrote at the beginning of 2020. That year, like now, more than one guiding word emerged. Each impacted my journey through that first year of a new decade, and three years later, they remain important words to anchor my soul. In my remembering, I decided to share at least portions of those posts with you.
Thoughts extracted from a blog post in January 2020:
In early December, I determined my theme for 2020 will consist of three related words:
Serenity
Simplicity
Stillness
I’m convinced Serenity must begin with God. My starting point this year will be considering The Serenity Prayer[i], written by theologian, Reinhold Niebuhr in the 1940’s. Today, the familiar words of the first part of this prayer are recited regularly at recovery groups.
I became acquainted with The Serenity Prayer in the 1980’s. Since then, I have adopted it as my own. It remains a practical petition I pray often. Here is my paraphrase of The Serenity Prayer for 2020.
Prayer:
God, Grant me the grace of serenity to recognize that which is not mine to do, those who are not mine to help, and that which you haven’t assigned me to manage.
God, grant me the courage to live with simplicity, to get rid of all that clutters my environment, my schedule, my thoughts, my emotions, and my spirit.
God, grant me the wisdom to put into practice the Great Commandment Jesus gave: to love you with my entire being; to love others in a way that reflects your love; and, finally, but importantly, to love myself in a God-centered, rather than ego-driven, manner.
Help me listen to the voice of your Spirit reminding me when my body needs rest, my soul needs nurturing, or my spirit needs silence and stillness.
Amen
Asking God to give you the grace of serenity as 2023 begins,
[1] To read the full Serenity Prayer: https://www.prayerfoundation.org/dailyoffice/serenity_prayer_full_version.htm