Serenity Prayer

Last night as I (Trisha) was getting ready for bed I noticed the TV in our bedroom was still on. It’s not abnormal for my boys to watch TV in our room AND leave it on. Right away the show playing caught my attention. It was a special about children dealing with parents who are alcoholics. It stopped me dead in my tracks.

When I was a little girl I knew that my dad struggled with drugs and alcohol. But when I was around the age of 5 we started going to church, my dad found Jesus and in my mind…a new life. Our family fell in love with God and the church where we would attend for the next 15 years.

When I left for college I was the first in my family to move away. I remember this transition being particularly hard on my dad. One cold Friday evening I decided to drive home for the weekend to see my family. Little did I know that the events that would soon take place would forever change my life.

Honestly, I don’t feel comfortable sharing the details of that night but I will share this… on that cold Friday night I found out that my dad started drinking, was always drinking honestly I still don’t know. All I knew was that he was drinking. As the events started to unfold I found myself in an intense argument with my dad pleading for him to choose me over his addiction. He chose his addiction or you could say his addiction chose him.

Last night as I sat watching and listening to children pour out their hearts about their alcoholic parent(s) my own memories came flooding back. It broke me to see the pain and desperation in their eyes. Children whose only request was for their mom or dad to be sober and choose them. Because not choosing them meant losing the parent they know and love to addiction.

I don’t know who you are in this story. Maybe you’re the alcoholic? Maybe you’re the child? Whoever you are I pray today you would see, hear, believe that…

You are a loved child of God

No addiction is stronger than God’s healing power

Your life matters and can and will impact so many others

God can give you the grace to forgive your mom, dad, husband or wife

God can show you how to forgive yourself.

Often times the Serenity Prayer is quoted by those who have an addiction and I totally get why. It helps me to remember that I can’t change my dad but Jesus can change ME. He gives me courage and wisdom as to how to love my dad as well as others in my life. I’m daily learning how to surrender to His will and trust that He will one day make all things right. I pray this prayer will do the same for you.

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.
Amen.

–Reinhold Niebuhr

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will direct your paths.

Proverbs 3, 5-6