Below is a blog written by my sister, Debbie, for her church website. 
I feel compelled to share it with you. Lynn Moore

NEW YEAR AND THOSE PESKY RESOLUTIONS.....BY DEBBIE

by United Congregational Church of Grand Island on 12/30/11

It’s that time of year again…yep, it’s time to set those New Year’s resolutions – those goals we set in areas of our lives which we feel need a little tweaking.  Some resolutions are kept and many are short-lived, but nonetheless, we valiantly make promises to ourselves and others that we are going to put forth the effort.  Most resolutions eventually go by the wayside shortly thereafter.   So, that got me to thinking…maybe this year would be a good year to focus on what’s on the INSIDE, not what is on the outside.  It seems simple enough, but I need a plan.  I just don’t want to make a ‘blanket resolution’ to be a better person.  I need something to guide me along the way, something that I can apply each and every day.  I found the answer today right in front of me.  It has been a very stressful few months at work and the other day I came across a bookmark I had made with the Serenity Prayer on it.  I taped the bookmark on my computer at my desk to help redirect me when my frustration level starts to climb, which sometimes seems a daily event.  I’m not the most patient person in the world, which is no surprise to people who know me well!  So, I have decided to take an in-depth look at the first two verses of the Serenity Prayer to see what I’m in for:

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change…

Wow, I’m in trouble right off the bat!  This is perhaps one of the most difficult areas for me, and perhaps the root of a lot of my frustration.  I just have to come to grips with the fact that there are some things I have no control over and must just let go, but doggone it, if only…………… I just have this mind-set that I need to fix everything (or everyone, as is sometimes the case).  I go into ‘protective mode’ a little too often and think that the problems of my loved ones and friends are my responsibility to fix.  My intentions are good, but sometimes you just have to let them find their own way. 

Courage to change the things I can…

Aha!  Now we’re getting somewhere!  This is where I think my strength is.  I’m surely not bashful, and there is nothing I love better than coming up with an idea that is going to change the world.  Okay, maybe not THE WORLD, but in my little part of the world.  Sadly, many people are afraid of change.  Change does not mean we have to ‘toss the baby out with the bath water’.  Change and growth go hand-in-hand.  You simply cannot grow if you refuse to try new things.  Some new things may fail miserably, but how will we know if we don’t TRY?  The world around us is ever changing and we have to realize that what may have worked in the past could possibly use a facelift!  Time to hit the ‘refresh’ button! Time to grow! I ran across an interesting quote recently: 

Never be afraid to try something new.  Remember, amateurs built the ark; professionals built the Titanic

This year, I resolve to be more courageous and try some new things, and I am sure that somewhere along the line I will be prodding you all to jump in and take a risk.  I’m not afraid of failing…but I do not want to fail for lack of trying.

And wisdom to know the difference…

Well, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this one out.  I think that most of the time I do know the difference between what I can change and what I cannot change.  The problem lies in stubbornly not accepting what I know deep down is a losing battle and that some things are just meant to be, for whatever reason.  I think the wisdom comes with age and experience…whether they are good experiences or bad experiences, you hopefully learn something from them.

Living one day at a time, Enjoying one moment at a time…

This one is gonna take some work.  I am guilty, as charged!  I tend to spend too much time today worrying about something that may or may not happen tomorrow.  Before I know it, today is yesterday and you find that you have gotten through it somehow.  Time spent worrying causes us to lose the moment.   To paraphrase Matthew 6:34…

"So never worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace

 Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is,

Not as I would have it…

There’s that word again…’accepting’, not to mention ‘accepting hardships’!  I definitely need some work on this one!  I guess that hardships do make us grow, even though we think at the time we are going through hardship that nothing positive can come of it.  In looking back, I know of many, many ‘hardships’ that made me a stronger person, and many times a better person.  We are all familiar with the phrase “That which does not kill us will make us stronger”.  I may be a Hercules in the making!   Ask any one of my siblings what verse comes to mind immediately when we think about our mother…they will all say the same thing:  There but for the Grace of God go I.  Oh, how I wish I could hear her voice repeating that.  She has forever engraved that in my heart. 

Trusting that HE will make all things right

If I surrender to His Will

Trust…..it’s hard to just let go and put your trust in God….can it really be that simple?  Unfortunately, I took the ‘scenic route’ in finding my way to just put my trust in God.  All I have to do is just surrender and trust God…and remember that he is walking ahead of me all the way!  What took me so long to make that move?    

That I may be reasonably happy in this life

And supremely happy with Him

Forever in the next…

Despite all the hardships, all the wrong turns, all the mistakes, all the worry, God was there just waiting for me to trust that He had me in His care and that the lessons of this life were meant to prepare me for the next.  I’m sure I tested God’s patience through the years.  Lord knows, I’m still a work in progress.  Despite all this, I’ve had a wonderful life…I only wish I had realized it sooner! 

So, there you have it.  My New Year’s resolution is to do my best to live by the Serenity Prayer each and every day.  And to that, I say…AMEN.

 

Salt and Light...>blog 2

 

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