People have come to believe that those qualities can come only from a power
greater than themselves. And because they believe, they find the serenity, courage and
wisdom they seek from somewhere outside themselves to face another situation, another
The first line of the Serenity Prayer says "God, grant us the serenity to accept the
things we cannot change." There are two words in here that stood out from all the others
the very first time I heard this beautiful prayer. The words "serenity" and "accept."
The word "serenity" even sounds calm, peaceful, and tranquil. If we are able to
make ourselves serene, if we can stop long enough to rest and be at peace with
ourselves and the world around us .... then maybe we can have enough serenity in our
lives to accept "the things we cannot change" simply because we are calm enough to know
we really don't have any other options.