Serenity: A Mantra for Hard Times

Last week in Confirmation, we spent some time exploring the concept of a mantra: a word, sound, or phrase with sacred meaning to us. We can repeat a mantra over and over again to quiet our souls, like pressing a "reset" button on our emotions or a "pause" button on our thoughts amidst a turbulent world. The Confirmation class explored common mantras we often hear today, mantras from "We are all in this together" to "May the force be with you!" In this conversation, we spent a little extra time dwelling the collection of mantras found within the Serenity Prayer. This prayer is well-known worldwide and has many versions. Here is the version we explored:

"God grant me the Serenity To accept the things I cannot change; Courage to change the things I can; And Wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world As it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right If I surrender to His Will; So that I may be reasonably happy in this life And supremely happy with Him Forever and ever in the next. Amen."

The Serenity Prayer holds sacred and important meaning for many people in our community and in communities around the globe, such as Alcoholics Anonymous and its affiliate groups. This prayer brings a sense of God's peace, love, and mercy that many of us long for and even struggle to grasp day in and day out. That is why repeating the Serenity Prayer or even just one line from it, can make such a good difference in hard times.

What mantra or mantras do you cling to these days? Share your mantras and your stories behind them in the comments below.