Serenity

By David Free, Deacon

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.

This is the prayer at every Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meeting. It is called the Serenity Prayer.

Webster offers a number of synonyms for the word serenity: calm, peaceful, tranquil, all qualities of life appealing to each of us.

Faith-based AA is an amazing organization that has saved a multitude of human lives. I know this because the organization saved my father’s life. Well, it helped, but it was more miraculously God’s hand that was responsible for his life-changing experience. Let me tell you the story. 

When I was 17, my father’s drinking problem had hit the bottom. My sister had moved out of our home, and then my mother. My father lost his job and was drinking day and night.

I was in high school, and I was gone for most of the day, but would return home to do what I could for a pathetic man who could not see life beyond the bottle. One day, in between classes I passed an acquaintance in the hall. He enquired, “How’s things?” Being a teenager, I certainly wasn’t encouraged to come clean and level with him, but this is when God stepped in and took over.

Suddenly, I found myself relating my family’s problem to this acquaintance, and much to my surprise, his response was, “I have an idea. You see, my father belongs to AA, and he can get your father to a meeting for help.”

And that his father did. He got my father to his first AA meeting that very night and, praise God, that was it! My father did not have another drink for the rest of his life. My father went on to sponsor many other alcoholics in the program, aiding them to rid themselves of the disease. He also regained his family and their love, went on to own his own business, and he once again became my hero. 

So what is the moral of my story? It goes back to the Serenity Prayer. It is a prayer applicable to all Christians, not just alcoholics. For many, the first verse of the Serenity Prayer serves as a daily touchstone reminding us that to achieve serenity, we must approach each moment with wisdom and courage.

The Serenity Prayer is a wide door, one that's open to people of all faiths and backgrounds. It speaks wisdom to all who believe in its words and believe in God. People who live this prayer discover how to strike a dynamic balance between acceptance and change. This gift is precious, and it's one that we can enjoy for a lifetime of serenity.

“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.” (Psalm 23: 2-3 KJV)

Prayer: God, grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, courage to change the things we can, and wisdom to know the difference. Amen.

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