A prayer of peace
A prayer of peaceSerenity PrayerReinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971)God grant me the serenityto 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 worldas it is, not as I would have it;trusting that He will make all things rightif I surrender to His Will;that I may be reasonably happy in this lifeand supremely happy with Himforever in the next.Amen.Read more at http://www.beliefnet.com/Prayers/Protestant/Addiction/Serenity-Prayer.aspx#KIRRbiEhfPAWrCIQ.99This prayer has helped many struggling with addiction. It has several good things to pray for. One key is to be sure to seek God’s wisdom about the things I cannot change and the things I can change.The things I cannot change I need to release to God, accept, and live and contentment with. Fighting the things I cannot change waste time, energy, and money. It will normally fuel my weaknesses to use vices to handle my pain in not being able to change the unchangeable things in my life. Such things as someone not returning my love, not have an ability that I wish I had, or people making decisions I disagree with. I must ask the Lord to give me the wisdom to admit that there are many things that are outside my control because I am not God.However, there are things under my control. The main thing under my control is myself. Therefore, I need to seek to master self control. Control of my thoughts, emotions, actions, and words. I can seek to be a sane, stable, and spiritual person. God must show me that I do have more control than I think I do. I must deny the control that I do have which is over myself.This pray also asks God help us not to live in the past nor pretend we know the future but to being living into the present moment. I have to accept that I live “East of Eden” and therefore my expectations have to be realistic in light of the world now living in rebellion against God’s kingdom of love.Yet, even “East of Eden” we can have a substantial and real happiness in fulfilling our God given purpose and look forward to eternally enjoying the free gift of our union and communion with the LORD all because of HIS death on the cross for our sins. So we can have a reasonable joyful anticipation of having a fruitful life and fulfilled one.Try praying this prayer daily once in the morning, once at lunch, and once before you go to bed for the next week and see if its message can make your heart rest in greater peace.