Serenity

“God grant me the serenity to change the things I can; courage to accept the things I can’t and the wisdom to know the difference.” Reinhold Niebuhr

               Serenity means peace; usually it means peace of mind or peace of heart. Peace of mind is not always easily obtained. Most of us try to achieve it with little help from those around us. In those instances, we have to separate ourselves from the source of our unrest, mentally and spiritually, in order to gain a sort of balance.

               Hymns of the church, gospel songs, and even the modern praise and worship music speak of a closer walk, contentment, God’s peace, or the presence of God during a personal crisis.

               When I journaled about these terms in 1991 my peace was fragile. I was trying to find firm ground to deal with my co-dependency. My plans and goals for the previous Monday got changed, partly due to a physical problem. We also experienced an ice storm that left us without power. (No power for 12 ½ hours) I was not happy.

               One thing I have learned and now rely on is Jesus promised to leave us His peace, not that of the world. (John 14:27)