The Courage to Change

I've always liked the Serenity Prayer:

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. 

~Reinhold Niebuhr

We have no control over a lot of things. People we love are diagnosed with terminal illnesses, spouses betray us, and children go astray or live ungodly lives. Our hearts get broken by the disappointments life throws our way.  We feel helpless and angry when we realize we can't fix the things that hurt us. Most of what happens to us and our loved ones falls under the "things I cannot change" category. Like it or not, we must accept what is beyond our ability to fix. We can pray about these distressing situations, but ultimately we have to leave them in God's hands and trust Him for the outcome.

One of the few things that falls under the "things we can change" category is losing weight and living a healthy lifestyle. We have full control over what goes in our mouth and how hard we work to develop healthy lifestyle habits. Isn't that exciting? This is something we really can control! We inherit certain physical qualities, and our family history plays a role in our chances of developing certain health conditions, but we get to choose how we live each day.

We decide whether or not we will exercise instead of watching TV.  We choose whether or not to order the healthy meal when we dine out with family and friends. We choose whether to indulge in cake and ice cream at birthday parties and special events. We decide whether we will go to bed and get a good nights sleep or whether we will stay up on the computer half the night. It's up to us to decide whether we want to break free from destructive habits or remain where we are. We can blame a lot of things and/or people on our weight issues and unhealthy habits. Yet, it is up to us to take control, face the truth about our addictions, and seek change. Nothing is holding us back except our own lack of willingness to follow through and do it. 

We need wisdom to know the difference between things out of our control and the things we can change. Healthy living is within our control. Will we be wise enough to grasp the fact that we can lose weight, or we will live as if it is something we can do nothing about?

Lord,  grant us wisdom each day to accept all the situations in our lives that we can't change. Give us the courage to change the things we can. May you fill us with wisdom to discern the difference between what is within our control and the things we must leave in Your care. 

In Jesus' name, amen