Reflection*
One of the hardest things to learn in life is knowing the difference between what we can and can’t control. It is better for us if we let go of things we cannot control, and instead focus on the things we can. In the context of painful emotions or difficult problems, this means stopping the struggle to control our fears, other people, or our circumstances, and instead channelling our energy toward our own choices and behaviour, and the everyday things that we can control.
Read The Serenity Prayer slowly, line by line:
God, give me the grace to accept, with serenity,
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other.
Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus did,
This sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,
Trusting that You will make all things right,
If I surrender to your will,
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with you forever in the next.
How have you shown this in your life, and how have you failed to do so?
A short contemplative exercise and time for prayer
To begin with, say a prayer of thanksgiving.
If you find a fault in yourself, ask forgiveness, and consider how you might live differently.
Ask for the grace of God to know what you can control, and what you need to accept that is out of your control. Ask for wisdom to know the difference.
Surrender the things you cannot control to God and reflect again on Philippians 4:5-7.
Finish with a prayer of praise to God.
*In this series, each day’s devotion will be structured a little differently than our usual Daily Bible devotions, as Dr Thompson offers a Bible passage for reflection, and teaches us practical contemplative exercises that can assist with finding peace when everything around us seems difficult and hopeless.