Things I can and cannot change

Acceptance

People in 12 Step Fellowships often struggle with acceptance. Not just acceptance of powerlessness over their disease but many other things as well.

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.
–Reinhold Niebuhr

Some things I cannot change I need to accept as is:

• my age,
• who my relatives are,
• my eye color,
• my height,
• my childhood experiences,
• my inborn talents,
• my nature,
• someone else’s abuse of alcohol or other drugs,
• whether the sun will shine,
• my job history,
• what I will inherit,
• how my parents feel,
• yesterday’s lost opportunities,
• how long I will live,
• who forgives me,
• how my parents treated me,
• how much I am loved,
• the past.

Some things I can change:

• the youthfulness of my spirit,
• who my friends are,
• my hair color,
• my weight,
• my adult experiences,
• my achievements,
• my character,
• my reaction to someone else’s use of alcohol or other drugs,
• whether my eyes will shine,
• my job possibilities,
• what I will bequeath,
• how I feel,
• my ability to act on today’s opportunities,
• how well I will live,
• whom I forgive,
• how I treat my own children,
• how much I love,
• the future.

I thank God for my growing ability to choose.

You are reading from the book: Days of Healing, Days of Joy by Earnie Larsen and Carol Larsen Hegarty.

Days of Healing, Days of Joy: Daily Meditations For Adult Children by Earnie Larsen

See also;

• 5 Finger Prayer
• Beyond Co-dependency
• Choc Chip Cookies
• A Woman’s Way Through The Twelve Steps

Related Reading:

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Tags: acceptance, can change, cannot change, God grant me the serenity