Monday, April 29, 2013

Peace Be Still As You Go Placidly Amid...God Grant Me the Serenity

With all the alarming events experienced as a nation lately i.e., the gun control debate,the random and non-random shootings which have left hearts heavy and weary, it is during such times that it is hard to find words which can bring comfort and peace. Parents ,communities,lawmakers,religious leaders from diverse faiths are attempting to find answers and solutions. Through it all we each seek ways to cope. It is a daily challenge of our faith to keep our heads cool,emotions in check, anger and outrage at bay with so much going on about us. We all have our challenges. Some perhaps in more degrees and intensity than others.

 That's where reliance on God's word to provide guidance and comfort comes in. One of the scriptures which comes to mind and evokes calm and serenity in a sea of chaos is one which still mystifies many Christians. Yet it provides solace in helping us to get through the most unsettling storms even those artificially created.  Mark 4:39(KJV):

And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.


In conjunction with Max Ehrmann's now classic poem the Desiderata and the Serenity Prayer, two of my favorites,  makes for a harmonious contemplative prayer and meditation.

Famous theologian Rheinhold Neibur  created what is  now called the Serenity Prayer:

God grant me the courage  to
Accept the things I cannot change
And the wisdom to know the difference

A familiar excerpt from the poem which we all can identify with in some way is

"Go placidly amidst...
You are a child of the universe,
No less than the trees and the stars
You have a right to be here
And whether or not it appears to you
No doubt the universe is unfolding as it should..."

Peace be still... That James Cleveland's gospel song on the subject is spinning through my mind.

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