A passage of a tranquility prayer states, “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.” The assistance being sought from God is sublime. When you put the serenity prayer into practice, you open a pathway to peace. As the prayer proclaims, serenity comes when you can accept the things you cannot change. Have you ever tried to change someone, expecting them to be different or wanting them to be someone you thought they should be? You feel exhausted and disappointed in the futility of your effort while they may feel frustrated at not “measuring up” or think that you don’t care who they really are. Peace comes when you finally accept that person for who he or she is. If your relationship with him or her still works, great; if not, find the courage to make your own choices or go your own way.
It’s the same for situations in your life. You need to ask yourself, “Is this something I can change, or is it out of my control, and do I need to accept what is with peace?” For example, the price of gasoline goes up, and you decide that you can’t control the price of gasoline, but you can conserve gas and plan your errands accordingly. You can find peace in accepting what is (the price of gasoline), and you can also feel empowered to make choices that will benefit you (conserving gasoline); in the end you create peace.
The Serenity Prayer
God, give us the grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, the courage to change the things which should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.
It takes patience and determination to accept the things you cannot change. Call upon God and the angels, and ask for the healing that you need in order to let go. If the words from the serenity prayer have meaning to you, use the prayer. Permit yourself to be blessed by its words of wisdom. Use prayer, too, to give thanks and appreciation for the blessings that flow to you in every minute of every hour of every day. When you feel down, depressed, or sad, list those blessings that you count on each day but may forget to thank the Creator for—examples might include being able to walk, talk, breathe, see, taste, feel, love, think, and so forth.