Serenity

"If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you."  (James 1:5 NRSV)

Every now and then, as I attempt to fix the things that I cannot fix, I am reminded of the serenity prayer that was written by Reinhold Niebuhr.  
     

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.

It is difficult to watch others suffer. Sometimes we can help them. Sometimes, we cannot do anything except to pray for them. Sometimes, we lack the wisdom to know the difference so we go about spinning our wheels trying to fix that which only God can fix. And... sometimes in the spinning of our wheels we end up making things worse.

Wisdom will help us to determine what we can and should change and what we must trust to God alone. When God gives us the knowledge and the wisdom of how we are to proceed, it would be very wise indeed to follow His directions. Ignoring what God has taught or told you (whether directly or through others) is definitely not wise.

May God grant us all the wisdom to listen to Him and the courage to do what He asks of us and go where He would send us.

God's Peace - Pr. J

He Is God And We Are Not

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.”

The Lord Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

                                           Psalm 46:10-11

We can run around trying to fix things all we want; but, we need to understand that we may just be spinning our wheels. Things don't always have to go our way. It is more important that they are done according to the will of God; after all, He is God and we are not.

It is best to try to avoid trouble by seeking the will of God and doing as He would direct you. When trouble does come sometimes we have to consider if maybe we've been going in the wrong direction and need to change our course. But, sometimes, the best and only thing to do is to just be still and trust the Lord. After all, He is God and we are not.

God's Peace - Pr. J