Some of you will recall the “Serenity Prayer”
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.
–Reinhold Niebuhr
It seems to me that there is a lot of wasted energy focusing on things that I can’t change instead of giving time and attention to the things that, by His grace, I can change.
The key is to live in the moment…not to get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow, and not anchoring my emotions with regrets regarding what happened yesterday, last week, last year or ten years ago.
Here are a few things I cannot change that are not worth fretting over or worrying about:
The weather. I am rather tired of weather discussions. I thank the Lord my life does not revolve around the weather. It is what it is.
My past. Mistakes, sin and stupidity are just that…the past. With His help I will repent, ask for forgiveness and move on, leaving the past behind me. I don’t want to play the woulda, shoulda, coulda game. It will hinder my hopes for the future.
Other people’s attitudes and actions.
Not having enough time. I’m never going to get more time, so need to stop saying I wish I had more time. I have all the time I need to do what God is asking me to do. Time is never the issue. Priorities/values are.
Harmful words spoken to me. Let them go and move on. Use the past as a guide post, not a hitching post.
My family of origin. Using my family as an explanation, not an excuse, for the way I am. Jesus can transform me.
Here are a few things I can and should change…by His grace and with His help:
My prayer life. Living a life of humility and dependency on the sovereign lord of the universe and of my life as reflected in prayer, praise, worship, repentance and confession
My attitude. Attitude more than aptitude will determine my altitude…think about that!
My perspective.
My responses to other people’s actions.
My words…especially vengeful, hurtful and critical words.
My current priorities and values…do they reflect biblical values?
My habits. What current habits are significantly hurting me, big time?
My weekly commitments. Am I overloaded and overwhelmed? What do I need to stop doing or do less frequently?
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