Dear God,
Grant me the serenity to accept what can’t be changed, the courage to change what I can change, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Amen.

Regardless of someone’s personal religious beliefs, learning the wisdom in this prayer can help when life isn’t going the way that you had hoped. I say the Serenity Prayer frequently because it helps me a lot. Those who know me know that I don’t go to church, am not a fan of organized religion, and have referred to myself as an atheist and that I’ve felt this way since I was a teenager. Yet I say this prayer and it helps me.

Recently I found a quote by Einstein which fits best with how I feel and believe. Einstein said, "I am a deeply religious nonbeliever."

The Serenity Prayer is a sort of reality check. Acknowledging our limitations and our strengths and going forward with that knowledge can stop us from wasting time and beating ourselves up over things we can do nothing about. We can focus on what we can accomplish in life.

I do believe that over time humanity as a group is striving to be better. That we encounter disappointments along the way but that no one would be here today if the direction of life and humanity was a downward one. So while there will be individual personal disappointments that result in tragedies and challenges, the overall direction of humanity is a positive one. I believe that there is a Higher Power but not in the form of a personal deity. I believe that individually and collectively we have power but that we ourselves are definitely not all powerful.

I know that the disappointments that I’ve encountered might be ones that are never resolved but in the overall scheme of things I consider myself to be of very small importance. I say the Serenity Prayer and go forward with the wisdom of that prayer in mind. This isn’t always an easy thing for me to do. I don’t find acceptance of certain things to be easy. But spending my time and energy on what can’t be changed is just a waste of time that I could spend doing more productive things that are positive. The Serenity Prayer reminds me of that and gets me to focus on all of the things that I can actually do something about and that are good things.

For more on Einstein and his views on religion and God:
Einstein: Science and Religion
Einstein’s View of God

Ginny