There comes a time in life when irrespective of how much healing or therapy we’ve done, and no matter how many books we’ve read or, we are confronted with the fact that we have no choice but to accept life as it comes, and that we cannot influence the outcomes of every situation that we are faced with. Often, this may leave us stressed, worried and anxious.
With time, we begin to bear grudges that destroy our inner peace. It seems to us that only we are facing hardships when the others are having it easy, or the fact that only we are having to deal with challenging situations or dealing with difficult people and so on. The more hassled we are, the more frustrating it gets and our peace of mind goes for a toss. Stressful moments cause physical and psychological havoc that leads us into a vicious cycle, from which there seems to be no escape.
This is why letting serenity into our lives can work like a balm to the soul. I can say this because it has worked for me, not just once or twice, but a countless number of times. I’ve taken great solace from the wisdom from the serenity prayer that has nudged me to accept things that I am powerless to change and move on from past hurt, bitterness and struggle, especially when the causes have been beyond my power of control and influence. Instead of wallowing in misery, I have found the strength to alter my response to them and thereby offset the suffering to a greater degree than if I hadn’t. But, I must admit, acceptance isn’t easy always. Acknowledging it is perhaps easier but imbibing this as a philosophy for life requires much more than mere intention. It requires grit and perseverance and plenty of patience. And herein lies the challenge.
Like many before me, I took a long time to realise that the serenity prayer is actually not a myth. There is a lot of truth in it. The earlier in life we recognise this truth, the quicker we will learn to accept the challenges that come to us and learn to either accept them with grace or move on since we are powerless to change everything that comes our way. Learning to face the obstacles with grace and not buckle under pressure is probably my biggest takeaway from this prayer.
The Serenity prayer has not only helped me face life’s volleys with grace, but also the challenges that I’ve brought upon myself. It has taken a tremendous amount of courage for me to stop comparing myself to others, to stop running myself down in my own mind when I’ve failed to “perform” well on certain measures, to stop feeling apologetic for being the person that I am, and instead begin to accept myself, warts and all. Truth be told, it hasn’t been easy, but I know I’m getting there, thanks to the fact that I’m a work in progress!
Over time, my Serenity Prayer (see above ) has come to reassure me with a sense of unconditional love towards myself, something that comes from loving oneself wholeheartedly. Again, it hasn’t been easy to follow this but persistence has paved the way to progress and today I feel self-love helps me find comfort, peace and joy because I only have to depend on myself to achieve that and nothing can beat that!
Perfection is no longer my goal but acceptance is, and that paves the way for peace and harmony and balance in life.
If we look at the world outside us, we find serenity all-pervading in nature, in the seasons, in the diurnal movements of the day into night, in the beautiful landscapes and skyscapes, but our inner serenity comes from our inner peace and acceptance of who we are, of life itself and the knowledge that what we cannot control we can only accept with grace and move on.
Serenity is not freedom from the storm, it is peace amid the storm.
Serenity is not freedom from the storm, it is peace amid the storm.
—Unknown
I’m Writing Bravely for the Write Tribe Festival of Words – March 2019.
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