Thursday, September 27, 2012 -- Serenity Prayer (4)

"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. 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."

COURAGE TO CHANGE: In the Bible we read about a man named Gideon. He was discouraged and had little self-respect. His family was extremely poor, and he was the least in his family. An angel appeared and called to him, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!”(Judges 6:12). Gideon didn’t feel or look like a mighty hero. God was calling him to deliver his people from their enemies and Gideon felt inadequate in the face of a great task. God, however, could see his potential and simply said, “I will be with you” (Judges 6:16). By the end of the story, Gideon had become the deliverer of his people (Judges 6-8). His first step toward success was to see himself as God saw him – a mighty warrior.

Many of us feel weak and think we are a failure. We question God’s interest in our life and our situation. Just as Gideon already had everything God needed, often we already have within us what God needs to overcome our obstacles. We, too, must begin by finding the courage to see ourselves in a new light and to summon up hope for a better life. Then as God gives us the strength, we can set about finding freedom from our bondage.

Having God deal with our defects can be frightening. Sometimes we stay trapped in destructive life patterns simply because we fear change. It is simply more comfortable to remain with what is familiar. If we wait for all our fears to go away before we take steps, we will never make significant progress in recovery. Courage isn’t the absence of fear. Courage means that we take advantage of the little strength we find within ourself, that we find little ways to encourage ourself, and that we stubbornly stick to God’s program for us. Courage is finding enough strength to take the next step.

(Adapted from:  "Serenity Prayer - Courage to Change", Life With God in Recovery) Copyright 2012 Partners in Hope Recovery Society