to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
I only ever really liked that last line of the serenity prayer. I am just now becoming more aware of the delicate line that exists between desiring change, expecting change, working towards change, and just accepting how things are. I think most people have more of a propensity towards change than acceptance, personally-speaking I mean. It's easy to want to another person to change, it's harder to realize that it is sometimes you who needs the changing. However, I still think most of us possess more courage to change the things we can/want to change and much less courage to just accept ourselves the way we are. In practically every instance where change is and should be desirable, acceptance must come first. Acceptance is almost twice as long as a word compared to change, but it is often overlooked half the time.
Sometimes I wonder how much of our grief is really tied to the unrecognizable need for acceptance and the unreasonable desire for change. Grief over inability of a family member to change looks a lot different than grief over a family member's unwillingness to change.
How much of ourselves are we really capable of changing? We are told things such as "When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be." Maybe we should learn to accept more of who God made us to be. It is only through a clouded lens that we see the person God created in all his capabilities, goals, motivations, desires as well as in all his limitations, inabilities, and incompetencies. There also exists the easy acceptance trap that becomes more of the easy apathetic trap which we must be weary of. Never quite realized before how much of life is like walking a tightrope with acceptance on one side and change on the other.
God grant me....the wisdom to know the difference.
