{"id":3198,"date":"2015-08-17T11:05:31","date_gmt":"2015-08-17T16:05:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/moniqueocampowrites\/?p=3198"},"modified":"2019-05-06T15:09:03","modified_gmt":"2019-05-06T20:09:03","slug":"how-to-accept-what-you-cant-change-in-no-easy-steps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/moniqueocampowrites\/2015\/08\/17\/how-to-accept-what-you-cant-change-in-no-easy-steps\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Accept What You Can’t Change In No Easy Steps"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"serenity<\/a><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve talked about The Serenity Prayer<\/a> on this blog before (as well as the film\u00a0Serenity<\/em>). I even liked reading\u00a0The Way of Serenity<\/em> by Fr. Jonathan Morris. I feel particularly drawn to the Serenity Prayer lately because I\u2019m having problems adjusting to change again. Or rather, the aftermath of the changes that came into my life. I\u2019ve embraced the idea of trying new things, but sometimes, the new things are only there for a little while.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s kind of like going to Disneyland for the first time or to a seriously awesome retreat. When you try new things like volunteering or going to a new place, the experience can be amazing and overwhelming and you just get caught up in a blissful spiritual high. Then all of a sudden, you find yourself back to reality and you can\u2019t go back and repeat that experience again.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been taking care of 2 bamboo plants and a small batch of mini-roses. Although I water them regularly, the roses are currently wilting and one of the stems of my bamboo plant is turning yellow. I can\u2019t help but feel like these plants are reflecting how I feel spiritually. Plants can die from over-watering just as much as they can die from not being watered enough. Sometimes, spiritual thirst can come from wanting too much just as much as it can from not feeling anything.<\/p>\n

Maybe it\u2019s just one of those summer-is-almost-over kind of downer feelings, but I feel my life transitioning again and I\u2019m not sure where it\u2019ll go this time. I\u2019m missing the fun stuff I did with my friends and dread being stuck in a rut again. But I have to accept where I am\u00a0right now,\u00a0<\/em>whether I like it or not.<\/p>\n

If there\u2019s anything I learned this summer, it\u2019s that God will always give you what you ask for, but not in the ways that you expect. There is no such thing as an unanswered prayer. Sometimes people only come into your life for a little while and sometimes there are people who will change your life forever. But you can\u2019t cling onto whatever or whomever made you feel a certain way because those things aren\u2019t God. If you love something, you gotta let it go. If you keep loving it, it will come back to you. Or whatever you want will\u00a0come back in a different way. But it\u2019s ultimately up to God.<\/p>\n

So if you\u2019re like me and right now you\u2019re feeling bummed about summer being close to over (or already over depending on when you start school), pray the Serenity Prayer. I have my own modified version because I can\u2019t resist making a\u00a0Firefly\u00a0<\/em>joke.<\/p>\n

\n

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I can\u2019t change<\/p>\n

The courage to change the things I can<\/p>\n

And the wisdom to know the difference<\/p>\n

And if I can\u2019t have any of those things right now,<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll just be here binge-watching Firefly<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Photo courtesy of Unsplash.com<\/a><\/h6>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve talked about The Serenity Prayer on this blog before (as well as the film\u00a0Serenity). I even liked reading\u00a0The Way of Serenity by Fr. Jonathan Morris. I feel particularly drawn to the Serenity Prayer lately because I\u2019m having problems adjusting to change again. Or rather, the aftermath of the changes that came into my life. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2156,"featured_media":3199,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,10,12],"tags":[1001,533,553,1000,324,343],"class_list":["post-3198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-faith-2","category-personal-life","category-reflections","tag-acceptance","tag-firefly","tag-serenity","tag-serenity-prayer","tag-spiritual-dryness","tag-summer"],"yoast_head":"\nHow To Accept What You Can't Change In No Easy Steps<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"I've talked about The Serenity Prayer on this blog before (as well as the film\u00a0Serenity). I even liked reading\u00a0The Way of Serenity by Fr. 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