Day 1 of 21 Days of Prayer Outside the Box

The idea for the 21 Days of Prayer Outside the Box came to me in a recent meditation.  Prayer is an important part of my spiritual journey even though there was a time that I really struggled with the whole concept. As a coach with a body, mind, spirit approach, I am sensitive to individual philosophies, beliefs and approaches and want to respect each one.  The thought is to share 21 prayers that are diverse in origin and create a space where those who choose to can join together as "two or more gathered" each day (on our own and in our own time) even though we are not physically together.

The First Prayer

As I was looking for prayers to include in the 21 Days of Prayer Outside the Box I did a little googling and decided to start with The Serenity Prayer.  This seems a little funny since it is really pretty "inside the box" (made popular by 12 step groups, one site calls it the most popular prayer in the world), but sometimes the best way out of the box is to start somewhere familiar.  Just stick your big toe out before you jump out with both feet.

So, if this prayer is new to you, I am grateful to have the opportunity to be the one to introduce you.  If it is one you already know I invite you to approach it as though you are experiencing it for the first time. Take it a little slower.  Stop with each word and really soak it up. This is a powerful prayer with a powerful message.  I know how easy it is to get going with these prayers without really being present to the prayer.  I invite you to become very present with this prayer at least once today and just be the observer from there.

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.

Note:

If you are interested, there is more to this prayer.  You can Google the full version.

Re-membering to Re-lease

While re-flecting on an Abraham Hicks video I watched yesterday, I had an awareness I am grateful I re-membered. The topic was how children with special needs can teach us that we can not change them - we cannot control them. As I thought about it I was thinking of all the times I have tried to control someone else, and failed.

I was re-minded of how miserable I was when I tried to control people, places and things around me. As I sat there pondering I had an "aha moment." Recently I have been experiencing a lot of serenity in my life, and every time I have been tempted to "figure it out," I have re-minded myself to just be. I have re-minded myself that if there is information for me to be aware of concerning this serenity it will come to me. That is exactly what happened.

Sitting there considering my serenity and the thoughts I had about trying to control things making me miserable I realized that lately I had let go of a lot of control. I had been catching myself when I want to control people places and things, and although I had not done it perfectly I had made the choice much sooner to re-lease control and let it be.

Ahhhhhhh, peace of mind.........

The Hurry Habit

Slow down to go fast....

Hurry easily becomes a habit in our fast and furious society. Slowing down can be a challenge partly because in slowing down we must exercise our "no muscle." We must learn to say no to the things that get us going so quickly that we lose our peace and serenity.

It is fear that propels us to hurry. Fear that we won't get it finished, that we won't get enough or be enough. Fear of.....

Let go of your fear and become poised in knowing your greatness.

"Remember that poise and power are inseperably associated." - Wallace D. Wattles