Serenity

Serenity. 

"The state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled."

If you are a Type A person by temperment serenity is not a virtue that comes easily to you. Your need to be in control of all situations sets you up for an anxiousness as to what might go wrong. 

I've written about this before when I wrote about awfulizing. This is the tenedency to always look for the worst case scenario. This is done more out of the need for self-protection, not so much out of being a pessimist by nature. 

Serenity for me goes hand in hand with putting my trust in God. Left to my own devices I would spend most of my time worrying. However, by placing my faith in God I have learned, not that things won't go wrong, but that I will be able to make it through any circumstances with His help. 

Time and time again during difficult times people have been placed in my path to help me along the way. I know that this is not pure coincidence. Having others to lean on allows you to live in a more serene way. 

The Serenity Prayer is a good reminder as to who is actually in charge. 

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;

Courage to change the things I can;

And the wisdom to know the difference. 

Reinhold Neibuhr