God, Grant Me Serenity…
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.
My past week was anything but serene!
If you live nearby, you will probably understand! Many areas in our region were devastated by a horrific windstorm. Houses within a couple blocks of ours were literally cut in two when stately, but unstable, large trees crashed right through them.
Perhaps your storm was of a different nature, but nevertheless, your serenity was sabotaged.
We were without power for only six hours—truly a blessing considering many in our area remain in chilly houses forced to throw away refrigerators and freezers full of ruined food.
Our internet was down for several days. After it returned, my poor husband had to tell me it appears my desktop computer may have crashed. The fate of many important—and not yet backed up—documents, including blog posts I had already written, remains unknown.
An interpersonal action—one I thought was gracious and helpful—backfired, and my already-frazzled emotions were hurt.
In a session with a lovely client who is navigating a traumatic event, I said to her, “I want to give you one important sentence to remember during this difficult time.” Then, my brain went blank, and I could not remember the sentence! After a few embarrassing minutes, the line I know almost as well as I know my firstborn’s name re-surfaced. The great sentence—one which is also worth me remembering—is:
The feelings and reactions of you and those around you right now are normal reactions to this abnormal situation.
During times such as this past week I am eternally grateful for the wise prayer of Pastor Reinhold Niebuhr more than 70 years ago.
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, including:
the weather,
equipment malfunctions,
another person’s reactions,
temporary brain fog,
unexpected, gut-wrenching circumstances,
cumulative stress-perhaps from all the above.
God, grant me the courage [as well as insight] to accept the things I can change, which for me this past week included:
fixing a pot of comfort soup for neighbors whose houses suffered damage,
picking up the tab for a restaurant patron who appeared lonely and distressed,
renewing my resolve—despite another’s reaction—to be a grace giver rather than a grudge holder,
remembering to become more diligent about backing up my computer work,
being grateful we know a terrific computer repair person,
extending grace—even to myself.
Finally, God, grant me future wisdom to be able to discern how to navigate my life’s
unknowns,
inevitable storms,
inconveniences,
misunderstandings, and
even trauma.
Whatever your past week or upcoming week looks like, I pray God will grant you serenity…
