Have you ever tried to control things in your life that you cannot control? The Serenity Prayer is a gift from God that teaches us how to separate those things in life that we can change, from those things that we cannot change. The Serenity Prayer goes like this:
God, grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can change,
and the Wisdom to know the difference.
-- Reinhold Neibuhr (1926)
To me, the Serenity Prayer is the answer to all stressful situations in life. Let’s take a look at the power of the Serenity Prayer.
Think of an adversity in your life that either you worry about, or makes you feel anxious or stressed. Can you control it? If so, what can you do? Can you change it in any way? If so, how? If you answered “no” to both of these questions, perhaps you need to accept it and let it go. That’s right, let it go. And let me tell you why. If you don’t, then you have two choices in life, and here they are. You can either 1) accept it and let it go, or 2) you can get sick. That’s right, you can get sick. If there is absolutely nothing that you can do about it, you MUST learn to accept it and let it go. Getting sick will not change the situation in any way. It will only bring you down. Possibly even depressed. And there is nothing on this earth worth getting depressed or anxious over. No matter what it is, even the death of a close family member, it is the only way that you will be able to achieve peace of mind and move on with your life. The choice is yours!
I’m not saying that you have to like whatever happens to you. I am saying that you MUST learn to accept it for what it is, and let it go. As hard as it may be, it is necessary in order to move on with your life.
Life is very precious and short. We only have so much time on this earth to spend with those whom we love and admire. Why waste any time worrying about those things that we cannot control. That’s why the prayer asks God to grant us the Serenity (peace of mind) to accept those things that we cannot change, and the Courage (strength) to change those things that we can change.
The last part of the Serenity Prayer asks God to grant us the Wisdom (knowledge) to be able to know the difference between those things that we can change from those that we cannot. This is a crucial part of the prayer. Without this we will never be able to know in our hearts if we were able to change it or not. Not sufficiently knowing this can cause us unnecessary grief and guilt in our lives.
I hope that you will consider using the Serenity Prayer every time you find yourself worried, anxious, or stressed. I guarantee that God will hear you and that He will grant you the Serenity, Courage, and Wisdom to get you through your adversities.
Dr. Al Infande is the Director of Human Resources at AeroThrust Corporation, a jet engine overhaul and maintenance facility in Miami, Florida. For over 15 years, he has served as a university professor where he teaches courses in Human Resources Management, Education, and Psychology. Dr. Infande has earned several Ph.D.s in the areas of Organizational Psychology, Counseling Psychology, and Human Resources Development. He has developed and delivered an array of seminars and workshops for both academicians and corporate executives. During his career, he has written several publications in the areas of Adult Education, Training and Development, and Stress Management.