Last night was our Celebrate Recovery. The lesson was MORAL. Fifteen years ago I had one simple definition for this word moral: don’t have sex outside of marriage. I don’t have any idea where that came from, but it was big in my mind. The true definition for moral is more about being honest/earnest. The one big moment for me was the lesson’s attachment to the Serenity Prayer. (It wasn’t spoken by the one teaching the lesson last night, but it became clear in my mind.) It says in the first stanza of the prayer: “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….”

Anyone who comes to CR and stays will eventually need to address all of the hurts, hang-ups and habits in their daily living. One also grows out of the mindset that I’m a victim (if they come with a background of abuse) and understand they must accept their response to the abuse as their responsibility. This is where “the courage to change the things I can” comes into play. I see this often in the counseling sessions and I find it in myself.

God doesn’t want me (or anyone for that matter) getting comfortable with one’s hurts, hang-ups or habits. Making excuses for them makes us a victim of the driver for it, when God wants us to trust Him to give us the courage to change the things I can by His Almighty Power. I’m still learning how patient and thorough our God is if we only give Him the chance. Taking courageous steps into these parts of our lives is huge, but the payoff is truly FREEDOM!