Serenity Prayer – The Rest of the Story

When I ask people if they know the entire Serenity Prayer, I usually get a confused look in response. “There’s more to it?” they ask. Yes, there is. The entire prayer is a practical application of the first three lines. (See previous blog The First Three Lines.) We will look at the rest of the prayer today.

Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time.

“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” (Matthew 6:34 NLT)

I am a planner who feels ultimately comfortable with schedules and routines. It’s okay to plan as long as I remember that I have a day in front of me that needs to be lived. If I want serenity during difficult times, I must learn the art of living one day at a time.

Living with chronic pain and fatigue helps me live one day at a time. There is no way to determine when a flare-up will come or how long it will last. Flare-ups can come at any time. They can last one day or several weeks. It is easy to get discouraged if I think about living in pain for the rest of my life. I can, however, endure the pain for one day. I often make a problem too big by lengthening it to “the rest of my life.”

How do we live one day at a time? There is no formula, but let us consider the following ideas.

Praying for God’s direction and provision, we ask God to help us have a positive attitude. Praying for wisdom, we ask God what needs to be done today and what can wait. Then we declare: Just for today, I will be grateful for the things my body can do. I will not try to figure out how long this flare-up will last or why it came. Just for today, I will set aside my fear that my pain will never end because I know that when Jesus returns, pain will be no more. We then thank God for His wisdom, guidance, and provision.

Sometimes one day is more than we can think about. We can break down a difficult day into a series of moments. I was once in the hospital with terrible pain. Pain medication was not working, and the doctors had not yet found its cause. I did not have my phone with me so I could not call anyone. I looked at the clock – 11:00. “Okay, until 11:05 I will cry out to God, breathe as deeply as I can and try not to think about this pain or its cause.” When I finished praying, it was 11:15. I alternated that pattern of prayer with watching videos about animals, which reminded me of God’s power and creativity. The doctors did find out what was wrong and were able to take care of it surgically. That was three years ago and I no longer struggle with that kind of pain. Though I did not enjoy the intense pain, I enjoyed God’s presence and peace as I saw Him answer my cries for help.

Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace.

“Endure hardship as discipline. God is treating you as his children.” (Hebrews 12:7 NIV)  I used to think that discipline was the same as punishment. I was happy when I found out discipline is about training, not punishment. “No discipline seems pleasant at the time but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:11 NIV emphasis added).

Wouldn’t it be great if we could learn valuable lessons without the accompanying pain? If only it were so. When I think back on my life, some of the greatest lessons I learned were accompanied by great pain. I would not trade those experiences for anything.

When we accept hardship as a pathway to peace, we are freed from thinking that God is against us. We are then free and open to learning what God wants to teach us.

I hate conflict. I realize it is a part of life, but it’s a part I would rather leave out. Recently I had a conflict with someone. I remembered a conflict I had years ago I did not handle God’s way because I was afraid. I remember the hurt that I caused because of my fear. I asked God to give me the strength and courage to handle the more recent conflict His way. This difficulty was an opportunity to  do things differently and to practice what I learned from past mistakes. Though it was hard, I am thankful God gave me a second chance.

Taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it.

While grieving the untimely death of two of my nephews, I came to see that God does not like death either. In fact, He hates it more than I do. I am grateful that because of Jesus, we do not grieve as those who have no hope. First Thessalonians 4:13 (NIV) “Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.” When I accepted death as a part of life, I grieved differently. In addition to my sadness and loss, I was thankful for God’s ultimate victory over death. This did not take away the pain of losing my nephews. but it did make my grief bearable.

Trusting You will make all things right if I surrender to Your will, so that I may be reasonably happy in this life, . . .

The lawnmower would not start. The grass was high. If I did not mow it, I was in danger of getting a ticket from the city. With each pull on the lawnmower cord, my shoulder pain and my irritation at God grew. I felt like God was picking on me. I am grateful that I am growing to look at life’s hardships differently. When I practice trusting God in all of life, including its problems, I remember that God is for me. I trust He will teach me what I need to know in His perfect timing.

Yes, God is for us even when the bank account will not balance, dinner is charred, and you forgot your doctor’s appointment. Romans 8:31-32 (NIV) “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”

And supremely happy with You forever in the next.

Thank God this life is not all there is. When life is hard it is easy to forget the promise in Revelation 21:3-5 (NIV) “’And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘ He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”

            Who? Me? Are you living one day at a time – one moment at a time? What are the lessons God has for you in your hardships?  Have you surrendered to God’s will and left the outcome to Him?

            One More Step: What is one step you can take toward serenity today? Take a moment to seek the Lord and surrender your life to Him.