A Breeze of Good Deeds #10: 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.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.


I always find myself reading this prayer of Reinhold Niebuhr in times when my disposition is being clouded by stress and anxiety. It happens a lot of times, more often than not, resulting in questioning Him. Why does it seem so hard for me to untangle the strands of difficulties? Why do I get the feeling that those who work less are being rewarded more? Why am I stuck in this labyrinth of existence? Why is life so unfair? Am I going to be eliminated in a jungle where only the powerful survives? And the list of questions goes on.

My parents taught me to be fair. My dad once told me that I should not use the power of being the oldest child over my younger brother. I was taught not to cheat, not to steal, not to covet those that do not belong to me. Though tempted to do the unjust in order to survive extinction in this cruel world, I chose not to. Because I know that it would not only embarrass my parents, it would also make me unworthy of God’s love.

So with this prayer, I must learn how to surrender everything to God. I must remain faithful that only Him can cure all the wounds brought about by being human. I must live one day at a time. I must realize that God made gifts for everybody, but it is not in my power when these gifts shall be opened. I must be patient becauase only God knows the perfect time for everything. I must accept my defeats, because failing does not mean that I am any less of a person; it only means that I am only human and that I have the chance to savor success when I get up after the fall. I must remain calm in times of turmoil because He will never leave my side. I must trust Him. We should all do.

In times when we lost all our will to face what seems to be an unwinnable battle, in times when all the vigor has been drained out of our body due to the endless strikes of life, the best thing to do is to gather whatever strength is left to close our eyes, kneel and PRAY.



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