A Pair of Docs: Activating the Serenity Prayer #1

 

A Pair-of-Docs: Activating the Serenity Prayer #1

Serenity: the state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled.

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.

Living one day at a time,

enjoying one moment at a time;

accepting hardship as a pathway to peace;

taking, as Jesus did,

this sinful world as it is,

not as I would have it;

trusting that You will make all things right

if I surrender to Your will;

so that I may be reasonably happy in this life

and supremely happy with You forever in the next.

Amen.

 

Activating the Serenity Prayer

1.      Stop Complaining

Steeping yourself in negativity has seriously terrible consequences for your mental, physical, and spiritual health.

Repetitive complaining rewires the brain for negativity. 

Be careful of the company you keep, negativity begats negativity.

 Phil 2:14-15 (NIV)  Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe

2.     Starve Discouragement

Discouragement can be a stepping stone or a stumbling block.

Fatigue, Frustration, Fear, and Failure can create a hole of discouragement.

When discouragement is a stumbling block.  Discouragement steals enthusiasm, lack of enthusiasm steals passion, lack of passion steals empowerment, lack of empowerment leads to passivity, passivity leads to depression.

 Phil 4:6-7 (NIV) Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

 

3.     3. Sever Unwholesome Talk

More than four letter words, unwholesome talk tears others down.

When we talk about people behind their backs, when we speak down to people, when we degrade others with what we say, when we give pat answers to other people’s pain or dismiss their feelings—that’s unwholesome talk.

 Eph 4:29-32 (NIV)

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

 

Complaining, Discouragement, and Unwholesome Talk will destroy your serenity