To Change the Things I Can

Are you familiar with The Serenity 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.

It’s a prayer often associated with Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-step groups.

But I think it’s a good prayer in general.  It’s a prayer of faith – essentially entrusting God with the things outside of your control, asking for wisdom and discernment to know where you need to let go, and where you need to make a decision to change something in your life.

I spent several hours watching documentaries about Adolf Hitler and World War II on Monday.  I had the opportunity since I was pretty well taking it easy.

I grew up in a house with a serious history buff, a veteran of the Vietnam War, the son of a World War II veteran.  My dad – always was and IS an American Patriot.

(Sidenote: For our fun family nights – my dad would rent a projector and film reels from whatever military base we were stationed at, and we would watch historical documentaries and films that can now be seen on The History Channel or Discovery.  I LOVED it.  It fed my love for American history and I got to see things that most people never saw.)

It was fascinating.  Horrible – the thought of young men dying on the battlefield.  Horrible – the atrocities of evil, tyrannical men in power done to other human beings.  Horrible – the necessity of war.

I was reminded as I watched the documentaries about Hitler and about WWII of the ultimate purpose of war.  It isn’t just a flexing of muscle.  It isn’t just financial.  It can be about facing evil domination – despite fear and terror and unknowns – and taking it down.

Evil is something that MUST be faced.  It is like a malignant cancer – that consumes everything good and replaces it with death and destruction.  Evil cannot be ignored.  It will choke out the good life that exists.  It is in direct opposition of all that is good.  Therefore, it cannot be tolerated.

We know what evil looks like.  It is not simply about a difference of opinion.  It is not simply a disagreement between two people.  it is not just something that makes you uncomfortable or steps on your toes.

Evil seeks to destroy life.  It seeks to erase good.  It seeks to eliminate all that is of God.

And evil is something that I can change.  Oh – I can’t end it entirely – not in my own human frailty.

But I can learn about ways to fight it.

Human Trafficking.

It is one evil that cannot go unnoticed.  It cannot be ignored.  It cannot remain unspoken in dark, quiet corners.

Much like the evil of Hitler’s Nazi army, there are those who seek out goodness, and turn it into horror and devastation.  There are those who pray on the young, the trusting, the innocent – as a means to earn money.

As the holiday season approaches, it is easy to get lost in the trappings of meal preparations, cookie baking, parties and gift exchanges.

And yet there are young children being used and abused by adults – maybe in a neighborhood not too far from you.

What can you do about it?  How can you make a change?

You can read more about this tragedy on my page:  Children: Not for Sale!

Maybe this holiday season you can make a small donation to an organization that actively fights this horror – like Shared Hope International or Stop Child Trafficking Now.

Evil – much like cockroaches – often scurries away at the first sign of Light.  Maybe you can’t fight on the front lines of this battle – and maybe you can’t even afford a donation – but you CAN pray – and you CAN be a source of information to others who might be able to do something about it.

There are many things in life that you can’t do anything about – they are out of your control – and you have to let go.  So do something about the things you CAN change!  Shine the light on evil this holiday season!

About Debbie T

Welcome to my blog. Grab a latte and settle in for a good read! I'm Debbie - aka The Queen Mommy. I'm really just a Right-Brained woman who loves God, her husband, and her three children. I This means I'd rather write than clean... I enjoy writing about family & home, faith & life, marriage & parenting, food & addiction. I do participate in affiliate programs and use affiliate links and graphics throughout my blog. If you follow a link and make a purchase, I may make a small commission to help support my family at home. Click here for my Disclosure Policy.

Twitter | LinkedIn