Serenity...
This post marks the
beginning of our new “faith-based words” study...
In these
posts, I will explore words that people of faith use every day. Why? Because
certain words can take on entirely new meanings for us as our faith in our Lord
Jesus Christ increases. At the same time, words can easily be misunderstood when
defined by the world’s meanings. It is my hope that this study will help you
find the right words to share your experience, strength and hope with others or
that you will better understand others as they share theirs with you!
We
will begin with the word “serenity”.
What do you think older people who
were recently surveyed said they regretted most in life? You might think it
might be big things like divorce, not finishing school, poor business decisions
or not spending enough time with loved ones.
Believe it or not, it was
none of those things...
Most of these older people said they most
regretted the time that they spent worrying. Many of us worry… nineteenth
century author Mark Twain once said “I've had a lot of worries in my life, most
of which never happened.”
Worrying can be described as feeling uneasy or
overly concerned about a situation or problem. Some amount of worry… let’s call
it concern, is normal for most of us. Sometimes, a little worry or anxiety can
be helpful... for example, if a student appropriately worries about a test, it
may help them study more and be more prepared on test day.
But, some of
us worry excessively. Some worriers may even subconsciously think that if they
"worry enough," they can prevent bad things from happening. But the fact is,
undue worrying can negatively affect our minds, bodies and spirits in ways that
may harm us. When worrying becomes that excessive, it can actually make us
physically ill. Chronic worrying can also lead to excessive stress in our lives…
stress that causes many people to seek to escape by overeating, pornography,
smoking, alcohol or drugs. It can even lead, in extreme cases to debilitating
anxiety or even panic attacks.*
And for all that, what does worry get us?
Consider the words of Jesus:
Luke 12:25
“And which of
you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?”
A quick
search of the internet will offer a host of man-made cures for worry including
prescription medications, herbs, supplements, relaxation rooms, vitamins, water
therapy and exercise among other things. One often Googled mantra is “this, too,
shall pass”. Some use it to get through difficult times in life… but it is not
found in the Bible.
But here’s the thing dear reader… although some of these
can be somewhat helpful in the short term… all will eventually fall short over
time because each depends on the things of man rather than the power of
God.
As Christians, we best wage war against worry not in our flesh, but
by tapping into the power of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Consider the
following:
2 Corinthians 10:3-5
3 For though we live
in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with
are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to
demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets
itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to
make it obedient to Christ.
Matthew 6:25-34
25
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink;
or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body
more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or
store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much
more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to
your life? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the
field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon
in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes
the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the
fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry,
saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows
that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all
these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about
tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of
its own.
Between the lines here, God is asking us to trust Him for our
needs. If it seems like He is not answering our prayers right away, remember
that He has an eternal perspective, not a short term worldly focus like many of
us do!
When we seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, God will
bless us with His power, protection, and provision. When we pray consistently
and in faith, our prayers will be effective against evil and help end our worry.
When we pray in Jesus’ name, we call upon His strength and not ours alone. When
we consider the words of Paul in Philippians, we can begin to actively work
towards contentment and serenity in God’s strength and not our
own.
Philippians 4:12-13
12 I know what it is to be
in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of
being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether
living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through Him who gives me
strength.
Worry is a waste of time and energy because in the end, we are
powerless to change certain things anyway. Things are what they are. Knowing
this then, how do we pray? One way is 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. 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; that I may be
reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever in the next.
- Reinhold Niebuhr
Rather than worry about things we cannot change,
let’s take to heart Jesus’ words:
Matthew
11:28-30
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will
give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and
lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and
my burden is light.”
That is an invitation that is hard to
resist!
I’ve been writing about these types of things for years. In the
Power of Brokenness -The Language of Healing I go deeper into
this with twelve words that can change your life. If you are interested you can
see more here.
 *If you are experiencing
debilitating anxiety or panic attacks of any kind, contact your licensed mental
health professional or hospital
immediately.
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