Can there be "SERENITY IN CHAOS" ????

Good morning and happy Sunday....this morning I was treated with a beautiful sunrise, a choir of birds singing in unison and a nice...wonderfully....welcome...cool breeze. As I sat on my front porch enjoying each of these gifts from God I was astonished at how my worries and troubles seemed to just fade away. I sat there from the dark to the sunrise, sipping my coffee and praising HIS holy name for all that he does for Wayde and myself. We have darkness each day...yes we all do...it comes with life on this earth. We have days when we do not think the sun will rise...but then there it is..over and over again! I am so thankful for God's love, for his faith in me, and for his never ending trust that I will honor and praise him. 

I pray this day has started out in a positive manner for you, that you take time to see the gifts laid out before you, that you are able to take time to thank our Father in Heaven and that you will take time to see that you are created in his image, that you are worthy, that you are loved and that you are a beautiful sight in HIS eyes. 

I came across this little writing and thought how TRUE, how very TRUE...Wayde has always been referred to as a very "mellow" man, he does not seem to let little ticks and chaos get to him, he is always positive and always just forges forward regardless of how many obstacles are hurled at him. I tend to get a little edgy and irritated when one thing after another is thrown in my path and I look to him for strength...How can you just let it go I ask? He always says..."D, there is nothing that can be changed about this" we have to just have faith that we are on the right path and keep pushing through the muck...his mantra must be the "SERENITY PRAYER" and boy is he obedient in it! I wish to be more like him, not to fly off the handle every time something goes askew, not to be filled with fear and worry each time things are not as I think they should be..I wish to slow down, take time to smell the roses and trust that God has a hold on things and that I am so very blessed that he does. Onward and Upward my sweet friends...onward and upward....

Serenity In Chaos

As an airport skycap checked through a customer at curbside, he accidentally knocked over the man's luggage. He quickly collected the fallen bags and apologized for the mishap. Unappeased, the traveler burst into an angry tirade, raging and swearing at the skycap for his clumsiness. 

Throughout the traveler's rant, the baggage handler calmly apologized and smiled. The livid customer continued to berate the man, even as he turned away and headed for his gate. Through it all the baggage handler smiled and remained calm. 

The next customer in line witnessed the incident and marveled at the skycap's professionalism and self control. "I have never seen such restraint and humility," he said. "How do you keep your cool when somebody is attacking you so viciously?" 

"It's easy," the skycap answered. "He's going to London, but his bags are going to Tokyo." 

I won't recommend that we use revenge to relieve stress. But let me tell you about someone who has found a way to go through most of his life unfazed by the turbulence that affects most people. 

He is one of the calmest people I've ever known and he describes how he keeps his cool no matter how turbulent a situation becomes. He says, "I look at it this way. A traffic jam has no power to make me angry. It just stops my car. And that's the way I try to look at most of what happens to me." With that philosophy, this guy goes through life with a serenity I can only envy. 

My friend likes to say things like, "A rude customer has no power to make me angry; he just fusses." And, "A mistake I made has no power to make me upset; it's just a chance to do better." He shows how we can truly find calmness in the midst of chaos. 

Eminent 20th Century American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr wrote a short prayer that has been reprinted countless times. Bill Wilson, co-founder of the support group Alcoholics Anonymous, became familiar with the prayer about 1941. He edited and adapted it, and then circulated it with the title "Serenity Prayer." You are likely familiar with his version: "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." 

The prayer has been a great help to many hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of people over the years. And the truth of the matter is that there is much which cannot be changed. We can't do anything about this evening's traffic. Another person's reaction is not something we can control. Furthermore, we may have made any number of mistakes that we probably regret, but they are in the past and that is something we cannot change. Reliving the past does not help us change the future. 

There's a certain power in calmness. And those who learn to accept with serenity that which they cannot change will find power to change those things they can.