The material presented
here is not Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature. It is a method
to exchange
information, ideas, feelings, problems and solutions on a personal
level.
Todays reading is both a look at how the serenity prayer can help us maintain inner peace and also a reminder that what we project outward can also be brought back toward us in our lives. The writer describes how the serenity prayer is a reminder that there are certain things beyond our ability to change, such as other people and their behavior. We can change the things we can, such as boundaries and setting limits to unacceptable behavior. Knowing the difference between what we can control and what we cannot helps us make decisions about our lives, helps us navigate those decisions. The writer sees that maintaining an air of quiet peacefulness generally helps things run smoother in her life.
I appreciate the humility in the Serenity prayer. 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. There are some situations that are beyond me, and I have the reminder that Im not meant to try and control them. I may play a part in certain scenarios, and the serenity prayer is a look at what I might be able to change about my own behavior. Knowing the difference helps to sort out any feeling of anxiety or chaos I might have. Letting go of a source of angst is another way to work through it.
The Thought for the Day gives us: When I project serenity, courage, and wisdom, they come back to me like metal to a magnet.
Thank you for the reading and your share and to everyone who chooses to share on this reading. I'm grateful for the Serenity Prayer. Praying it slowly while considering each line has had a calming affect. In consideration of responding rather than reacting, the Serenity Prayer has at times been a very useful detachment and boundaries tool. In highly charged situations, conscious contact with my loving higher power by praying this prayer has helped me to feel safe and cared for in the moment.
The Forum quote at the end of this reading mentions harmony with myself. With an ongoing relationship with a loving higher power, I feel a sense of well-being. The shortened version of this prayer is only four lines but when worked, they are powerful tools for maintaining my serenity.
The first line of the prayer, God, Grant me the serenity is about humbling myself. I acknowledge the existence of the God of my understanding as a power greater than myself and humbly ask for emotional balance . To accept the things I cannot change is a request for feelings of denial to be lifted about people (including myself), places and things. The courage to change the things I can requests bravery, openness to change because of new found clarity. At times, it's meant going where no woman, well maybe just this woman has not gone before. And finally, The wisdom to know the difference is the last line of this shortened version of The Serenity Prayer that we use in the Al-anon program. When praying the last line, I ask God's help in knowing when and if God needs my help.
This reading has a few examples of the behaviors of alcoholics and non alcoholics others that could possibly disturb my serenity. It touches on using humor when it feels appropriate. I will say that I'm grateful to have grown from "fixing" using this as a compensation tool for someone else's inappropriate behavior and perhaps worse yet using it as a manipulation tool to mask my own unacceptable behavior. It does have a wonderful use as a tool to diffuse tension between people if it's used with genuine honesty. Ultimately, it's my responsibility to keep my side of the street clean. Loving support of myself and others is best expressed by checking my own motives and trying to choose recovery behaviors that respect myself and other people.
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Surround yourself with people and elements that support your destiny, not just your history.
And finally, The wisdom to know the difference is the last line of this shortened version of The Serenity Prayer that we use in the Al-anon program. When praying the last line, I ask God's help in knowing when and if God needs my help.