How Serene are You?

Serenity is a state of mind.  It isn't a matter of chance, but a matter of choice and takes inner work.  We can't will serenity, but can create an environment where it will grow.  Being calm and serene doesn't mean we are promised freedom from pain or difficult circumstances.  Serenity is not an escape from life.  Rather, it is the power to find peacefulness and a deep appreciation of the life we are given and make for ourselves.  Serenity becomes a way of life absorbed slowly and practiced one day a a time.  We seek it, and the freedom from stress that it brings, because we are capable of becoming more fully and passionately ourselves.  If we live with the knowledge that we are worthy, and if we cultivate our spiritual awareness and remember to avail  ourselves of each moment's opportunities, we have many hours of joy and serenity. A peaceful, untroubled, and tranquil mind usually comes to us through inner stillness, "Be still and know I am with you," is an English Prayer, and similarly a Psalm in the Bible notes: "Be still, and know that I am God,"  Knowing that we aren't alone helps. We can also carry our serenity with us into the world, as chaotic as the world may be.  While we are responsible for changing what we can, we have to let go of the rest of life's challenges if we want peace of mind.  As the Serenity Prayer states: "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can....," Reinhold Niebuhr.  Although giving and helping should be our major purpose in life, we need to remain serene and complete so that we can take care of ourselves in order to do these things for others.  It is important to know our limits and have boundaries. Serenity, or a deep calmness,  comes from letting go of the past and thoughts of the future and trusting that everything is exactly as it should be, knowing that in the present, "all is well."