The Serenity to Accept the Things I Cannot Change

I'm pretty sure that most humans don't like the idea of anything being out of their control. I'm also pretty sure that we male types are even worse about this. I've found that it's especially hard to accept the fact that I have no recourse in a given situation. To my mind there must always be something I can do to "fix" the problem. My mind rebels at the idea that I might not be able to deal with the situation on my own. I find myself either angry or discouraged when I'm boxed in or cut off from the things that I think I "need." Reaching quiet resignation is about the toughest thing to do. I say quiet resignation because I want to make it clear that the kind of resignation I am talking about is not a noisy, boisterous, or complaining resignation, but a quiet resolve to accept whatever comes my way while still doing my best to bring about the best outcome in each situation. Part of reaching this state of mind is the recognition of the fact that a lot of the things that I tacitly assume that I need are not needful at all. I could name specifics, but it really boils down to a misapprehension that I often suffer from: namely that idea that if I just stay on top of everything and play my cards right I can get the things that I "need." And further, as often happens, if I'm not getting what I "need" then somebody somewhere must have messed up. And certainly from a human perspective this is possible. But try for a moment to look at the big picture that God is seeing. For him nothing is ever out of control, nothing has slipped or gone off the rails, and even the things that we humans call "mistakes" happen for a purpose. All too often though I have an unstated set of minimum requirements that need to be met before my status can be "okay." Otherwise something is amiss and I need to find a fix quickly. And I'm not patient when one of these items is missing. Red lights come on in my mind's control panel and a blaring alarm sounds. The situation is out of control, my "needs" are threatened, and action can and must be taken on my part to secure those "needs" - not only for now but for the foreseeable future. The ludicrous nature of this idea needs only to be put in words to be clearly seen. What I ask of myself is a complete impossibility. No one ever has achieved or ever will achieve the necessary amount of control over their lives to ensure that the things that we often regard as "needs" are always met. And yet I have the arrogance to think that it should somehow be different for me. I sometimes chuckle when I think of how silly this idea is.

So if there's something that you feel you "need" and you're not getting it, may I humbly suggest that you turn your attention to the things that you truly need and remember that we've already been promised everything that is truly needful.