The Serenity Prayer - Part 3

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.

Patience for the things that take time
Appreciation for all that we have, and
Tolerance for those with different struggles
Freedom to live beyond the limitations of our past ways, the
Ability to feel your love for us and our love for each other and the
Strength to get up and try again even when we feel it is hopeless.

--Reinhold Niebuhr

“The wisdom to know the difference…” Once again, I think that “wisdom” is a word meant for people far different from myself. I am intelligent – I have a lot of knowledge (much of it useless trivia). But “wise”? I don’t think so.

But then again, isn’t that the whole point of this prayer? I don’t have serenity, or courage, or wisdom – so I am asking God to give those things to me. My experience, though, is that God doesn’t give me a pill or potion to take that gives me instant peace, or courage, or wisdom. He puts me in situations where I get to practice those things. If I pray for peace, I often find myself in the least peaceful circumstances; if I pray for courage, I find myself in situations where I am afraid; and if I prayer for wisdom, my ignorance is surely going to show. I have learned to be cautious in what I pray for – because I know that I will soon be tested in that area.

I am very aware of the fact that how I see myself is very often not how other people see me. Others may indeed see me possessing these attributes, at least to some extent. But no one knows the inside like I do – except God. And He knows me even better than I know myself. I humbly admit that I cannot complete this journey without His help. I know that I am sadly lacking in all of these areas, but I am asking Him to help. And I have every confidence that He will.