And the patriarchs [Jacob’s sons], boiling with envy and hatred and anger, sold Joseph into slavery in Egypt; but God was with him. – Acts 7:9, Amplified Bible

I was reminded of a great life lesson when speaking recently with a retired Army Colonel.  During the conversation, the Colonel said,

“One of the best pieces of advise I ever gave my children was to learn to accept things that they could not change.  There are just some things in life that stink, and we can’t do anything to make them smell better.  When we run into things like that, we can either fret over those things or we can accept them as reality and move on with life.”

This lesson became real to the Colonel early in his career.  It didn’t take long for him to figure out that there is no beating back nor speeding up the Army bureaucracy.  Once he learned to accept that fact, he led a happier life.

People respect such an outlook on life, and so does God.  Joseph was mistreated in horrible ways that most of us cannot imagine. Sold into slavery by his brothers and imprisoned for a crime that he did not commit, Joseph is never recorded in the Bible as fretting, complaining, or bitter.  Rather, he is shown to be mild, patient, and diligent, accepting his circumstances, come what may.  God smiled upon Joseph’s righteous, long-suffering character, and He rewarded Joseph by bringing him prosperity in every circumstance he encountered.

When things don’t go our way, we naturally brood, and there will be times when the brooding results from our encounter with circumstances we cannot control. We ought not brood, for brooding is a waste of time, a waste of emotion, and a lousy testimony.  It accomplishes nothing positive, and we should therefore banish it from our lives.

The “Serenity Prayer” has been around a long time and has been communicated in several forms.  It is simple, it is clear, and it is spot-on:

God, grant me the serenity [the calm contentment] to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.

May God grant us all both the serenity and the wisdom that this life requires.