S is for Serenity

serenity (noun) : a state of peacefulness and calm; tranquillity; unruffled repose or quiet.

In a biblical context, this refers to a profound inner peace and tranquillity rooted in faith, surrender, and trust in God's sovereignty. It indicates a calmness of spirit that transcends human understanding, even in the midst of life's challenges.

In a science fiction context, it's the name of the spacecraft that appears in Joss Whedon's Firefly TV series and related works.

If you want an interesting discussion, ask me which one of these three I most need in my life.

Focus on the things you can control...

I've got a copy of the Serenity Prayer on my wall at home. It says:

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

The plaque has been on the wall for a while. However, the world has changed significantly since it was put up there. 

When I glance up at it, I smile. It is so apt at the moment. Because things are changing so quickly, and (like many) I simply can't keep up with the changes. Even just a couple of years ago, I could have told you what was happening in my life, what was going to happen. Not so now. There are so many things that I've given up, or simply don't do now. There is such uncertainty. So many things planned, then cancelled or rearranged.

Is this an effect of the pandemic? Of changes in society? Of other people's decisions affecting my life? Of my ever-advancing years?

I really don't know if it's just one thing - it's a combination of things. However, I know I can't go back to the way things used to me. Things have moved on.

So - I need to take it slow, and focus on the things where I can take control. New challenges, new opportunities. 

And I need to stop worrying about the rest. All the things I used to do. The many years of service that I completed, and have now had to let go. I don't mourn their passing any more. I celebrate the fact that I did these things, and made a difference.

And I know there will be new things to do, just around the corner ...

"I keep being asked when we can go 'back to normal' or 'like it was before'. My personal thoughts: We've added a new disease to our population, more infectious and more severe than flu. The world pre-2020 no longer exists - we may want it to, but it just doesn't." - Christina Pagel, Professor of Operational Research and a member of the UK Government's SAGE Committee, in a Twitter quote... 

"Th' whole worl's in a terrible state o' chassis" – Captain Boyle, Act III, Juno and the Paycock (Sean O'Casey)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. - Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV UK)

S is for Serenity

Set in the year 2517, Serenity is a Firefly class transport ship, a older model that is generally poorly regarded by many. The ship is referred to as a 'flying piece of gos se' (the phrase is Mandarin Chinese, and it's not very pleasant), however its crew regularly defend the reputation of the ship.

Firefly is an American space western SF series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. Regrettably, the TV series was cancelled after only eleven of the fourteen episodes (produced in 2002) were aired. The show continues to have a strong fan base, which led Whedon and Universal Pictures to produce 'Serenity' in 2005, a movie which continues the story of the series.

The Times They Are A-Changing

"Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'... "
(Lyrics of the song by Bob Dylan)

This post was inspired by my son John's recent post on his blog (now, where is that Watchmen DVD?).

Yes, things change. In fact, they never, ever stay the same. And time often moves far too quickly!

However, it's only becomes a really big deal when something that is good or useful in your life comes to an end. We mourn it, don't we? Often, we then take the trouble to try and recreate or rebuild it. Sometimes, in vain - it's gone for good. And we have to wait for the next opportunity... which hopefully is just around the corner.

And we don't really mind when bad or troublesome things reach their end. In fact, we are keen to celebrate their passing. It's party time!

The art is learning to embrace change when it happens. Or making it happen, when it doesn't. I blogged about this recently, here.

That's where I struggle - the whole concept of making things happen. It's tough. Some days it feels tougher than others. It sometimes feels like I'm pushing a boulder uphill (hence the picture). Which is interesting - when I went to the 'net to find a picture to illustrate this entry, I got into the Greek myth of Sisyphus, which is where we get the boulder reference from.  His punishment was having to endlessly roll a boulder up a hill, only to have it roll back down again. Modern scholars say this has become an analogy for 21st Century life.

Is that how I feel? If I can change anything - can I change that feeling...

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.(The Serenity Prayer)

How did it get so late so soon?

It's night before it's afternoon.

December is here before it's June.

My goodness how the time has flewn.

How did it get so late so soon?
Dr Seuss

Seeking Inspiration

I must admit that I wasn't feeling particularly good on New Year's Day. I was still tired, recovering from a busy New Year's Eve where I strived to be as pleasant as I could be while feeling totally like a fish out of water. Social gatherings are always so draining. I had got out of one party successfully earlier that day on some pretext but there was no way I could avoid this second... By 1am on New Year's Day I was running on empty, so we made our excuses and left...

It was now New Year's Day morning, 8am. I crawled out of bed and made tea for my wife and a large coffee for myself. I was looking for something awesome to lift me up and set me off on the right path for the New Year. I had another party to go to that night (this was a family do, couldn't cry off this one either!) so I desperately needed some meaningful input!

The most inspiring thing on the telly at the time was "Bee Movie", an animated tale about bees, work ethics and the dangers of litigation - a distraction, but only for a short while. Mostly spotting which character actors were doing the voices...

I took time to read my emails. Topics were as you might expect - primarily related to goal setting for 2015, or what was on offer in the January sales. There were a large number of people on Facebook wishing everyone well for the New Year. Then the computer rebelled, kept falling over, and I ended up shutting it down. A new PC for the New Year looks like it's becoming an essential.

In the end I started out on the kitchen cleaning and buried myself deeply in the task. I ended up spending the best of the morning on it.

A blog post that I found during the course of my afternoon's sit down revealed (at last!) a little nugget of wisdom from J.R.R. Tolkien:

"Still 'round the corner there may wait, a new road or secret gate."

This comes from a poem by Tolkien, I've now found the whole thing here. At last, something a bit more inspirational!

Finally, I found myself going back to dwell on the Serenity Prayer, written by Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971):

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.

I'm still seeking. There's a whole bunch of things I need to change, it's just that some things seem impossible to change, no matter how I try. But perhaps I haven't found the 'secret gate' yet...

I know that nothing is impossible for God, and He knows the things that I struggle with. I bend His ear with them often enough.

The good stuff - it is still out there, however somethimes it takes quite a while to find it. I'll keep searching. :)

Resolutions

I was out for a drive today when I had a really interesting chat with my Heavenly Father. As part of the conversation I started pondering on the subject of New Year Resolutions. 

Now, I can't say that this is a subject that I entertain every year - I can't see the point of setting out resolutions just for the sake of it. However, I understand the benefit of turning over a new leaf, making a fresh start. So the New Year is a great opportunity to do that. And over the past twelve months or so I have really got to know myself a lot better. I can understand my motivations so much better. My strengths. My weaknesses. My spiritual gifts. My special abilities. My assets. My liabilities.

"Lord, I am not perfect. Far from it. But you see me not as I am, but how I could be. My potential. And I want to embrace that - to work on that."

With 2013 just around the corner, I can see there are some changes needed to be made in the next twelve months in my own life, in the lives of my family. So I can make better use of these gifts; to strive to reach that potential. There are some tremendous opportunities that are just about to come into range. I just need to be brave enough to make the changes that I need to make. To grab hold of these opportunities and hold on. And possibly to take some flak for it.

God, grant me the serenity

To accept the things I cannot change;

The courage to change the things that I can;

And the wisdom to know the difference.

(Reinhold Niebuhr)

(picture - taken from "Calvin & Hobbes" by Bill Watterson. Check out this comic strip at this website.)

Serenity

I've been contemplating and praying The Serenity Prayer today. This is the common name for an originally untitled prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr, and is often used by various groups, including members of Alcoholics Anonymous programmes. Niebuhr wrote the prayer as early as 1934, and became popular during the Forties. I have it displayed in the porch of my house!

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

Amen.