Serenity Prayer

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jennymae1972:
Joined: 27 Apr 2005
Posts: 22

PostPosted: 06 May 2005 09:31 am
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU?

TO ME I THINK IT IS SO AWSOME. I WAS SAYING IT TO MYSELF LAST NIGHT AND I THINK IT MEANS YOU CAN'T CHANGE THE THINGS YOU HAVE DONE IN THE PAST. YOU CAN'T CHANGE OTHER PEOPLE.
YOU CAN CHANGE THE HERE AND NOW YOU CAN MAKE THINGS BETTER WITHIN YOU.
SOOOOOO........
GOD
GRANT ME THE SERENIY TO ACCEPT THE THINGS I CAN NOT CHANGE THE COURAGE TO CHANGE THE THINGS I CAN AND THE WISDOM TO KNOW THE DIFFERANCE!
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bluidkiti
Site Admin

Joined: 15 Mar 2005
Posts: 10500


PostPosted: 06 May 2005 12:53 pm
God, grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change - people, places, things, the past
The Courage to change the things I can - me, today
And the Wisdom to know the difference.

You pretty much hit the nail on the head, Jenny. ok
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lightlover:

Joined: 17 Mar 2005
Posts: 385


PostPosted: 06 May 2005 01:22 pm
a prayer for serenity in letting go of that which is beyond my control
a prayer for courage to get into action when i understand God's will for me
and an aknowldement that neither of these things can be accomplished without Wisdom, which comes only from Godde.
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scots bill

Joined: 08 Apr 2005
Posts: 399
Location: cleveland,england

jennymea hi
serenity prayer means to me. god grant me the serenity to
accept people places and things as they are not as bill wants them to be
love in recovery BILL lol smokin hug
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EllenE
Joined: 05 May 2005
Posts: 12
Location: Oregon

PostPosted: 06 May 2005 05:00 pm Post subject: Reply with quote Edit/Delete this post Delete this post View IP address of poster
When I first got sober, I was so sick that I used to ponder for hours trying to figure out just what I could change about my partner that was meant in that prayer. Laughing It does say "to change the things you can", after all. Sad

I still use the Serenity Prayer even though I now know what it means. It's much easier now that I don't try to figure out which parts the Serenity Prayer means I'm supposed to change about other people anymore. See, it does get better!
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Janbear
Site Admin
Joined: 15 Mar 2005
Posts: 5529


PostPosted: 06 May 2005 06:38 pm
Serenity in accepting that i cant change people,situations,things,places
Courage to change the things i can: ME. And i am not even to sure i can do that, but God can. He can change my perception of things
and wisdom to know the difference between the two
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fibiray

Joined: 16 Mar 2005
Posts: 515
Location: Australia Central Coast NSW

PostPosted: 06 May 2005 09:42 pm
For me, the serenity prayer means that I must stop trying to control the outcome of things by trying to change people, places and situations. I am powerless over them. However, I can change me and my attitudes towards people places and situations. When I try to change things, I am coming in direct conflict with god's will for me, and the lessons I need to learn from something. Nothing happens on god's great earth by mistake. Furthermore, the serenity prayer helps me to focus on the here and the now rather than remaining in the past or projecting into the future. This also counteracts any attempt by myself to try and control the outcome of things.

chow chow stars
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cassie
Moderator


Joined: 16 Mar 2005
Posts: 1029


PostPosted: 07 May 2005 06:56 am
For me, the prayer is all about asking for God's help. For knowledge of his will and the courage to accept it - for wisdom in understanding his guidance. For acceptance of myself and others. When I seek His help, serenity and acceptance always follow. angel
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soberaddy
Moderator


Joined: 15 Mar 2005
Posts: 405
Location: Canada

PostPosted: 07 May 2005 07:33 am
to accept the things I cannot change------the past

the courage to change the things I can-----me with God's help

the wisdome to know the difference----serenity cheer smokin


God bless you all!

Love
Anne hug hug angel
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Baritone



Joined: 15 Mar 2005
Posts: 365
Location: NC

PostPosted: 08 May 2005 12:26 pm Post subject: Reply with quote Edit/Delete this post Delete this post View IP address of poster
It's interesting that i came upon this prayer again recently in a non-recovery book i was reading. And the subject wasn't "serenity" but "wisdom". We can get so caught up in the "acceptance" part of the prayer that we forget the other two parts. The prayer tells me there are things i can change in addition to things i can't. If my roof leaks and water pours out of the ceiling every time it rains, i don't have to accept getting wet - i can fix my roof. So in every situation i have to examine what i can change and what i can't (that's what i need the wisdom for). If my work situation is unbearable, i can't change the people i work with, but maybe i can change jobs. Things like that. Then i need courage to actually make the needed changes.

- Jim
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IggyP



Joined: 09 May 2005
Posts: 5
Location: Brooklyn, NY

PostPosted: 09 May 2005 04:37 am
Hi, I'm Ignacio and I'm an alcoholic

This was one of my first tools to get through while counting days. It taught me the lesson of acceptance. In the begginning it was hard, but by repeating the serenity prayer, I learned that I didn't run the universe, nor did I have to... Shocked That was quite an eye opener for me. Before, I believed that I had control over everything that happened. Even my slightest action, I believed, had an influence over the outcome of a situation...even something as far-fetched as the result of baseball game.
Nowadays, I just do the best I can and have faith that God will take care of me. It is His plan, not mine. Very Happy

Have a nice sober day!
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scots bill



Joined: 08 Apr 2005
Posts: 399
Location: cleveland,england

PostPosted: 09 May 2005 01:02 pm
ignacio hi great to have you here with us clap smile lol ok hug BILL
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l
bluidkiti
Site Admin


Joined: 15 Mar 2005
Posts: 10500


PostPosted: 16 May 2005 04:56 am
I offer you this prayer for all the difficult relationships in our lives:
God, grant me the serenity
to accept the people I cannot change,
the courage to change the person I can,
and the wisdom to know, that person is me.
- Mary Manin Morrissey
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Jeff2424



Joined: 29 May 2005
Posts: 4
Location: Albany, NY

PostPosted: 29 May 2005 12:32 am
Basically, the serenity prayer is the only thing that keeps me from choking the living s*** out of every prospective employers that rejects me from my past. My addiction left me with three DWIs, one felony and an aggravated harassment charge. I find it hard to comprehend that with my education and experience, he really wants me flipping hamburgers.

Fortunately the serenity praer and meetings help me to deal with the anger and resentments.
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cassie
Moderator


Joined: 16 Mar 2005
Posts: 1029


PostPosted: 30 May 2005 08:27 am
Hi Jeff! Very Happy Welcome to a great recovery group. I hope you will continue to come here and share.

Quote:
I find it hard to comprehend that with my education and experience, he really wants me flipping hamburgers.


Someone recently reminded me that not all the doors that were once open before remain open in light of what I did while I was active in my addiction. I must find those that are and trust my HP to lead me where he knows I need to be.

Anger and resentment lead me to drinking and self-destructive behavior. I must work hard to face those feelings and let them go. That and my addiction earned me a DUI, cost me a dream job, and took away all the perks of a great lifestyle. Past, gone, over - cannot change.

I love this fellowship and find out every day how little I do know. Today I can change my behaviour. Hopefully, today I can help others by telling the story of how alcohol affected my life - then and now.

Today, I have a sane and sober life. I don't have a paying job at all yet. But I have a loving husband, two great pets, a house, the support of family and friends who had basically thrown up their hands in disgust at me. Most important of all I have the belief in my HP and this fellowship which, if I work it, gives me the serenity I have searched for my entire life.

I hope tp get a chance to hear you share again. You have helped me today. Thank you.
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scots bill



Joined: 08 Apr 2005
Posts: 399
Location: cleveland,england

PostPosted: 30 May 2005 11:32 am
hi jeff
good to meet you, looking forward to hearing from you
unfortunately most employers dont understand the illness
of addiction, so treat us like we are week willed people
.love in recoveryBILL ok grin smile smile
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fibiray



Joined: 16 Mar 2005
Posts: 515
Location: Australia Central Coast NSW

PostPosted: 30 May 2005 06:20 pm
I like what bill said about employers thinking that we are weak willed. This couldn't be further from the truth as alcoholics are the most self willed people on the planet. We are like little pit bulls when we take hold of something.
At a meeting last night we were discussing tradition 6 and how we alcoholics want to run out and save the world and our ego's tell us that we are the xpert. This has been so true for me in the past. I have to accept the things I cannot change.

chow chow Wink
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Jeff2424



Joined: 29 May 2005
Posts: 4
Location: Albany, NY

PostPosted: 30 May 2005 09:19 pm
Thanx for the warm welcome. I know I still have a lot of anger and resentment to deal with, but now with mounting financial pressures, I occasionally lose focus on what comes first. Fortunately, I live near Albany, NY and we have a lot of good meetings in the area. As Scots and Fib alluded to, a lot of my frustration comes from knowing what a good employee I was and can be again, because our stubborn and determined nature can be very beneficial traits in the workplace. Cassie, thank you for reminding me to take a minute to remember the many things I have to be grateful for,but it was a very short minute..lol. well, time for another drink....of Pepsi...some habits die hard.
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lightlover



Joined: 17 Mar 2005
Posts: 385


PostPosted: 01 Jun 2005 12:14 pm
serenity to accept what i cannot change = the past and all the ways that my alcoholism wrecked havoc on me in the past
courage to change the things i can = the present, my choice to get and remain sober and keep the focus on myself
wisdom to know the difference = GOD'S HELP to create a future for myself that both God and me can be proud of.
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lightlover



Joined: 17 Mar 2005
Posts: 385


PostPosted: 01 Jun 2005 12:16 pm
serenity to accept what i cannot change = the past and all the ways that my alcoholism wrecked havoc on me in the past
courage to change the things i can = the present, my choice to get and remain sober and keep the focus on myself
wisdom to know the difference = GOD'S HELP to create a future for myself that both God and me can be proud of.
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Jeff2424



Joined: 29 May 2005
Posts: 4
Location: Albany, NY

PostPosted: 01 Jun 2005 12:49 pm
lightlover wrote:
serenity to accept what i cannot change = the past and all the ways that my alcoholism wrecked havoc on me in the past
.


dam*, this acceptance stuff is a pain in the a$$...LOL. I spend so dam* much time on could have, would have, should have. It is very frustrating because while I easily comprehend the logic and benefits associated with accepting my past, my present seems to prevent it. I am told that my shortcominng may be a lack of gratitude, a denial of alcoholism, failure to achieve the third step, and a myriad of other suggestions. The good news is I still have faith that God has a plan for me which he will present to me in His time frame, not mine. I just wish He would accelerate the schedule.
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lightlover



Joined: 17 Mar 2005
Posts: 385


PostPosted: 01 Jun 2005 01:22 pm
jeff
wow, you and i are rowing the same boat right now.
im glad you wrote, i can id so much. denial, lack of gratitude, no real 3rd step are also issues that i am dealing with. i have been told that 3 wont come without a well done 4th. so thats what im working on right now, just a tip. lets keep in touch....if you see my posts, i have been progressing very slowly, although i have been working v hard. maybe 2 hard, maybe that the point....instead of letting go and letting god!
your friend in recovery-
xo
franki
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Jeff2424



Joined: 29 May 2005
Posts: 4
Location: Albany, NY

PostPosted: 01 Jun 2005 01:49 pm
lightlover wrote:
jeff
wow, you and i are rowing the same boat right now.
im glad you wrote, i can id so much.
franki


Yeah, and I think we both lack oars...LOL. Strangely, I have been given the exact OPPOSITE advice, that the steps are in a row for a reason, and forget the fourth until you have the third. However, I suspect if we keep not drinking and going to meetings it will eventually be resolved.
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lightlover



Joined: 17 Mar 2005
Posts: 385


PostPosted: 01 Jun 2005 03:12 pm
rowing without oars. that is hilarious. lol

how about in the same boat, trying desparately to bail out the flood waters with a child's sand pail. duh

i guess we need to ask God to send us some oars and other helpful materials to get back to dry land! nod

keep it up...i am getting glimpses of what an amazing and beautiful adventure life can be if i can just get out of my own mother@#$##%^%^&%^ *^%^$ way!!!
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scots bill



Joined: 08 Apr 2005
Posts: 399
Location: cleveland,england

PostPosted: 01 Jun 2005 04:33 pm
jeff hi
like you in my early days, i wanted a microwave programme
ten years sobriety in ten seconds, i wanted it yesterday. until i visited your country i was two years sober at the time, i ok hug smokin smile good night went to a book store
i C.A. i met a man who had twenty seven years in recovery, he was old and bent , that when i realised if i was twenty seven years sober i would
be kicking seventy, that made my two years seem OK, i'le get there when i should ,it took my im patience away. love in recovery BILL