Who Are You?

There is a prayer made public a long time ago. I don’t know who wrote it. I do not know the circumstances that gave rise to its writing. But I know it is in wide use. Here it is:

            “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.”

Called the Serenity Prayer in Alcoholics Anonymous and many other 12-step programs of recovery from addictions, the prayer is a powerful challenge for each of us to be honest with ourselves. Do I accept the things I cannot change? This doesn't mean I like those things, but I might as well make peace with them, or avoid them so I don’t create resentments over them.

Do I find the courage to change the things I can?  Yes I do!  I can answer that question quite truthfully. In fact there are many friends and family members who think I’m tilting at wind mills as it is and trying to do something about too many things!  I plead guilty.  I do try to change things I think need changing. And I firmly believe we all can do much more than we are doing to make this a better world in which to live. To do that we all have to lend a hand in the doing! And trying!!

But having the wisdom to know the difference,…now that is a huge challenge to me. For you, too?

Another anonymous quip on the internet fits nicely here:

            “There are three types of people in this world:

                        Those who make things happen,

                        Those who watch things happen, and

                        Those who wonder what happened.”

Perhaps the serenity prayer needs daily recitation for each of us so we aspire to be those people who make things happen!

Do what you can to make things right. Don’t dwell on the things we can have no affect on. Do not build resentments for things we do not control. We learn from these efforts. We find new strength to make a difference in the lives of others. We find a power we didn’t know we had. It could be pure muscle, or ideas, or influence…whatever, they are the assets we can use to undo wrongs and build things right.

            “We must try to forget the things that hurt us, but

             We must never forget the lessons they taught us.”

                                                            ~Author Unknown

A good summation of our discussion so far.

Another way of putting this is:

            “I can choose to let it define me, confine me, refine me, outshine me,

             Or I can choose to move on and leave it behind me.”

                                                                                    ~Anonymous

Choosing to consciously make these decisions in our lives makes us powerful and effective.  As Elizabeth Green has said, “Sometimes the most ordinary things could be made extraordinary simply by doing them with the right people.”  Are we finding those people and joining their efforts? They are out there. They need you. We need them.

Don’t let their woeful sigh be: “All I want is someone who will stay, no matter how hard it is to be with me.” (Anonymous)  That person may well be you at times. Most likely it is someone like you who needs the company to challenge the world as they seek serenity. Are you the one they are looking for? Are they your helpmate in the journey?

We will only know by trying.

May 20, 2013