September 16th, 2019

“Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace.”

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4)  

Let’s be honest. “Pure joy” seems like a stretch. But you could look at it this way – the chance of hardship coming into your life is 100%. You have had, are having, and will always “face trials of many kinds.”  You don’t have to schedule a visit to Monty Python’s Office of Argument and Abuse in order to have opportunities for this kind of “pure joy.” Avoiding difficulty just isn’t an option.

So, what?  Per the Serenity Prayer, we’re back to acceptance. Accepting the things that cannot be changed and accepting hardship as a pathway to peace. James tells us that trials will result in perseverance, which will end in a kind of fulfillment. Note the subject-object use in that verse. Perseverance is doing all the work (i.e. God); we just set back and “let” it happen. And, if we can somehow manage to crack a smile during the whole shebang, then so much the better.

“O merciful Father, who has taught us in your holy Word that you do not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men: look with pity upon the sorrow of your servants. Remember us, O Lord, in mercy, nourish our souls with patience, comfort us with a sense of your goodness, lift up your countenance upon us, and give us peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.” (For A Person in Trouble or Bereavement – BCP p. 831)

September 13th, 2019

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

Jesus says, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life.” (Matthew 6:25) How nice would it be to obey God’s command here? One clinical psychological researcher says worry “makes you miserable in the present moment to try and prevent misery in the future”, and leads worriers to “be continually distressed all their lives in order to avoid later events that never happen. Worry sucks the joy out of the ‘here and now’ to prevent an unrealistic ‘then and there.’” 

Funny thing about worry is that most of what we are anxious about never actually happens. In fact, one survey of worriers revealed that 91.4 percent of our worries never materialize! We ask God for the grace to live one day at a time because it is the most sane and reasonable way to live.  Jesus agrees. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:34)

No day is without its own trouble. Realizing this is also the most sane and reasonable way to live. But God is more than sufficient to meet your day’s trouble – 100 percent of the time. And leaving tomorrow in His strong hands may even allow you to enjoy the moments of today.

“O God, our times our in your hand: Look with favor, we pray, on us as we begin another day. Grant that we may grow in wisdom and grace, and strengthen our trust in your goodness all the days of our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.” (For A Birthday—BCP p. 830)

September 12th, 2019

“God grant me the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.”

The things that cannot be changed, versus the things that should be changed, that is.  According to the Serenity Prayer, we need wisdom to know the difference. Wisdom is an elusive quality filled with paradox. For instance, the truly wise know that they lack wisdom. And those who are wise in their own eyes are the world’s fools.

On the other hand, we immediately recognize wisdom when we are in its presence. And, by golly, we need it!! Even for the seemingly self-assured, life is like a game of Blind Man’s Bluff, in which a player is blindfolded, spun around, disoriented, and then set loose to blindly find another player. The adult version of the game in Europe is called “Blind Man’s Buff”, because the blind man is punched and buffeted along the way.

Sounds like raising children to me. Or just the navigation of any relationship. Or decisions about how to live responsibly in this world. And when you drill down to deciding what can’t change as opposed to what must change, then you are desperately in need of wisdom.

Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” I won’t pretend to have the wisdom to know exactly what that verse means. One thing is clear though – wisdom does not come from within you. Wisdom begins and ends with God. So, why not start (and end) there?

“O God, by whom the meek are guided in judgment, and light rises up in darkness for the godly: Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what you would have us do, that the Spirit of wisdom may save us from all false choices, and that in your light we may see light, and in your straight path may not stumble; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.”(For Guidance – BCP p. 832)

September 11th, 2019

“God give me courage to change the things which should be changed.” 

St. Paul confesses this in Romans 7: “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate…. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.” 

Paul’s honest and universally applicable appraisal of himself puts a serious chokehold on both our willingness and ability to change. That doesn’t mean that change isn’t possible; it just means that we’ve got to start with a no holds barred evaluation of our own limitations. Although, this biblical wisdom stands in stark contrast to the lucrative self-help industry, I trust you have enough experience with yourself not to argue with St. Paul on this one.

Change powered by our own internal locomotion is a doomed venture, but change inspired by the Spirit of God is a different animal altogether. There are things in you and in the world that can and, as the prayer says, should be changed. You know what those things are without me, or your mother, having to bring them to your attention. Just remember from whence our help doth come. For the same St. Paul of Romans 7 says this in Philippians 4: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

“Direct us, O Lord, in all our doings with your most gracious favor, and further us with your continual help; that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in you, we may glorify your holy Name, and finally by your mercy, obtain everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.” (For Guidance—BCP p. 832)

September 10th, 2019

“God, give me grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed.”  

The question is not really what things can be changed, but rather who can change them. God can change anything. He is the only being with perfectly free will and the power to alter and intervene. The disciples realized this after Jesus calmed a raging storm. “What kind of man is this”, they asked, “Even the winds and waves obey him!” (Matthew 8:27)

What about you? What things can you change? You can likely change a diaper, possibly change a tire, and most definitely change your plans. There are all kinds of things you may want to change. “I check my look in the mirror, wanna change my clothes, my hair, my face.”  (The Boss) 

But, can you change your spouse…or your spouse-less-ness? Can you change a diagnosis? Can you change that dreadful mistake you made in the past? I know for certain that you have locked horns with at least a fistful of “things that cannot be changed.” I know, too, that fretting over and fighting with those things is fruitless. The third thing I know is that God is in control of all things and that “the Lord works out everything to its proper end.” (Proverbs 16:4) That means everything, even and especially the things you cannot change.  

“O God of peace, who has taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and in confidence shall be our strength: By the might of your Spirit lift us, we pray, to your presence, where we may be still and know that you are God; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.”(For Quiet Confidence – BCP p. 832)

September 9th, 2019

Leading off the Almost Daily Devotional is a short series on what has come to be known as The Serenity Prayer. Composed in various forms by theologian Reinhold Niebuhr in the 1930’s, it has been used with regularity in the 12 Step Community.  There are different versions of the prayer, but this is my favorite:

God, give me grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other.

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,
As I surrender to Your will,
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with You forever in the next.

The famous Seinfeld Episode called Serenity Now lampooned our attempts to rely on a mantra to maintain internal peace. Placarding over real anger and frustration with a simple affirmation will not work. As one character on the show said, “Serenity Now leads to insanity later.”  However, prayer, even daily (or almost daily) prayer is different. In prayer, you are bringing your real self, with all your anger and frustration into the company of your Father who loves you. So, “do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32)

The Serenity Prayer is a longer prayer than you will usually find in the Almost Daily Devotional, but it is worth your time and attention. In the coming days, I will break this prayer into 8 different sections, grounding its wisdom in scripture and connecting its truth to our experience. But, its wisdom and truth are also self-evident (Niebuhr was quite the theologian, after all), so for today just spend a little time in the prayer’s company. 

That’s all for (serenity) now - see you tomorrow.