I don’t think there are many people that don’t know the serenity prayer. It hold true to so many beliefs because it holds true to so many things. God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. People included. There are so many things in the world just completely outside our control especially other people. I can never control the actions of another no matter how much I want to.  With my child I can hope that through the years I’ve given her good values that will help her do good things and make good decisions but ultimately it out of my control. People that have come into my life that I’ve believed were good people that I thought would do right by me in the end their decision to be a good person or be a bad person was out of my control. We think we can control it but what I really think it comes down to is we hope that we had picked the right people that were good people that when disappointment comes we are shocked. However it was never in our control so it was never something we had a say in. We have to remember that those points, those situations, those people, have nothing in the end to do with us. It may affect us and it sucks but it is what it is and nothing can be done. You can only accept that which you can’t change. Like in a course in miracles forgive and move on. Can’t do anything else.

Use your heart to change the things you can change. Join a cause to support something you believe in.  Stop bringing the same people that aren’t good people into your life. Take responsibility for the parts you can change and have the courage to change it. Someone is hurting you in a toxic relationship, you can’t change them but you can change your part in the relationship. There are parts in this world where you can make a difference and this is where you use your courage to step up and make it.  You don’t need to be a victim you can change anything within yourself. It takes work, dedication and tears but it is something that you have the power to change. The power to change takes courage, takes guts.  It could be scary and sad.  It could be liberating and worthwhile.  It could be something like lobbying for pets rights or changing a career.  This is the part of the prayer completely in your own hands.  Your chance to change something to make it better

The wisdom to know the difference. That is the key isn’t it. i think we know the difference but we still have hope that the first part we can change someone and help control it. That’s the heart to me in the serenity prayer. You can’t change someone make them do the right thing but you can give advice.  You can’t stop a drug addict from taking drugs but you an help them to rehab.  You can’t stop the clouds from producing rain but you can grab an umbrella. You can’t stop MS from it course but you can slow it down with medicine. Sometimes though in the end you realize that all your efforts were in vain and the only thing left is to let it go. You can lead the horse to water but you can’t make it drink. At that point you dust yourself off and pray. As a student of a Course in Miracles I pray for them to be healed and blessed. I pray for forgiveness in my heart. It’s out of my control. I pray for serenity.