GOD GRANT ME THE SERENITY (PEACE) TO ACCEPT THE THINGS I CANNOT CHANGE,
You can’t change others; you can only change yourself.
When people you love are making bad choices, repeat this over and over: “Not my circus. Not my monkeys.”
Much of what happens in life is not in your power to control. Let it go. Give it to God.
You can’t control the past. It’s done. You can learn to accept the fact that you messed up, made mistakes or embarrassed yourself. We all mess up. It’s part of being human. Ask for forgiveness from God and those you wronged if needed. Then learn to forgive yourself.
THE COURAGE TO CHANGE THE THINGS THAT I CAN,
What can you change? Your attitude. Your skills. Your reactions to what life brings you.
If something is causing you stress, learn new ways to deal with it or change things in your life to deal with the problem. Maybe you need to change your job or your friends or your bad habits.
It’s not easy. That’s why you need courage and perseverance.
Don’t ignore problems, deal with them as best you can. Past failures are just lessons.
Don’t ever give up!
AND THE WISDOM TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE.
Write down everything you are worried or anxious about. Then go back and cross out all the items on the list that YOU cannot change. Those are the items that you need to pray for peace to accept. Don’t waste energy stressing out about them.
Next look at the things on the list that are not crossed out. These are the things you can work to change. Pick one, and start working on it. Don’t stress about all of them, just pick one for now. Baby steps.
If you are not sure which to cross out, pray. God will help you know what to do – accept things or change things.
Talk to someone you trust. Proverbs 24:6 says, “For by wise counsel you will wage your own war (against the dragon of anxiety and depression), and in a multitude of counselors there is safety.”
