Serenity, Courage, and Wisdom

After anxiously obsessing over election results so that I lost sleep last night and remain annoyingly agitated this morning...I decided I needed this blog today.

[Note: This original version of the Serenity Prayer was written by the American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr in 1932-1933. It has been used as a major comforter in 12 Step meetings for decades.]

So this one's for me. Perhaps you can glean some peace of mind from it as well.

Serenity is napping with a grandson

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, 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.

GodFather

A few months ago, before church became a distance online thing to do, a friend of mine led a very moving prayer in our Sunday morning assembly. Mike's habit is to use the terms Father, God, and even Father God numerous times when leading us in talking to the Lord. All of a sudden that prayer caught an extra level of focus from me. He rearranged the order as I'd never heard him do before. It wasn't wrong; it was just different...unique, especially for him.

He used the term God Father. It almost sounded like Godfather. He had my attention. I'm not sure why; he just did. The Godfather trilogy of motion pictures is among the most critically acclaimed in all of filmdom. It just so happens that I am a movie buff; a movie buff who has never seen any of the Godfather flicks. They just never appealed to me. I'm more of a Hallmark, Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne, and Fifties Sci-Fi Classics kind of guy. I even like the old musicals just not the Godfather.

NOT my God Father!

I was caught by surprise that all of a sudden we seemed to be praying to God-Father. Unlike the gangster mafia family head, our God Father is caring, loving, merciful, compassionate, and understanding. Additionally HE is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. I'm pretty sure He looks nothing like Marlon Brando. Thanks Mike, I relish the opportunities to speak personally with our God Father!

Over There

George M. Cohan became the first performing artist to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. In 1940 President Franklin Roosevelt recognized him for his contributions to the war efforts. Particularly he was cited for his compositions honoring America: Grand Old Flag and Over There. The latter is one of my favorite patriotic songs.

Over there, over there, send the word, send the word over there...

That the Yanks are coming, the Yanks are coming, the drums rum-tumming everywhere.

So prepare, say a prayer, send the word, send the word to beware.

We'll be over, we're coming over and we won't come back till it's over, over there.

That is just one of the many entertaining songs in the 1942 musical Yankee Doodle Dandy starring James Cagney. It follows the life of the Cohans as they transitioned from burlesque to Broadway.  George became the writer and star of many musicals over the span of several decades.

Recently during my daily morning time with God listening to the audiobook of the Bible, I noticed the familiar scripture of Jesus praying in the garden. Then Jesus went with them to a garden called Gethsemane and told his disciples, "Stay here while I go over there and pray." (Matthew 26:36 MSG) We know how earnestly Jesus prayed to his Father. Remember that his disciples fell asleep rather then watching and praying with their Master?

photo by Aaron Burden/Unsplash.com

An extremely important part of a Christian's life is to spend time alone with the Lord. Those moments can be in a special room at home, on a mountainside, in church, or in a beautiful garden. The meditation, prayer, Bible reading, or singing that come from those occasions can form a unique part of following Christ. As often as possible, make the opportunity to find solitude with your Savior over there.