After reflecting on the first sentences of this prayer, I want to share with you its third and final part. These blog series have meant a lot to me because they have allowed me to open up with you in a very personal way. My belief is that when something makes us feel good, we must share it and let that healing energy expand and reach other people who may need it.
Let us read the last sentence:
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.
Taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it…
This fragment talks about something fundamental, an emotion I think we should all put into practice: acceptance. How difficult it is to accept things as they are! Right? How many times you have been angry because something did not happen the way you wanted, or how unsatisfied you have felt throughout your life in the face of situations that you expected to occur in a different way.
Personally, I usually feel bad when people who are close to me act unexpectedly or react in a way I wouldn’t. That feeling is really painful, but, if we think about it, why should everything be or work the way I want it to? The prayer expresses that clearly. This world is imperfect and contains light and darkness within it, so how can we think everyone will always have the best attitude towards us? Besides, why being demanding or annoyed with others if we ourselves are far from being perfect?
Over the years, I have thought about all this a lot, and I have tried not to get too carried away when those painful emotions show up. And let me tell you, by accepting things as they were, I started to experience an inner peace that is truly inexplicable. I believe this mood of not expecting anything from anyone and just being grateful for everything while accepting things as they are, leads us to a state of grace that is very fulfilling.
But how do we trust everything has a reason, and that things happen because we need to learn from them and grow? The prayer says 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.
It all comes down to accepting God’s will. We must understand that not everything depends on us and that we are not superheroes with the power to change everything around us. Being able to stay humble and accepting our finitude, and also our ignorance regarding issues that exceed us, is being able to accept life’s cycles and to trust that everything happens for a reason that we may never understand. But you know what? That is completely okay. We do not need to invest our time in trying to know everything, or in expecting everything to be perfect.
For me, you can find “perfection” in small things and small moments. And that is huge in itself. Being able to appreciate and value every blessing God has given us along the way is the true goal in this life, or at least that is how I see it. That is where I find happiness!
All in all, what this prayer is trying to tell us is that we need to let go of control. That we have to let ourselves be and flow with life, and that we should not be worried about anything as long as we trust in God’s plan; a plan that will be the right one depending on what we must learn in this life. It may not be perfect for us, but it will definitely make sense over time.
I will leave this wonderful prayer underneath, so you can come to it whenever you need it. Thank you for being on the other side!
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.
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.
Reinhold Niebuhr