Terry Paul Choyce
Jan. 29, 2006, Brunswick Street United Church
We just had a federal election, and some of us did not get the leaders we desired. So I thought this was the perfect Sunday to talk about the Serenity Prayer, because many of us have to ask God for the "serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." The Conservatives are now in power, and for some of us (including me),that is a bitter pill to swallow. So I have to accept thatmuch of this country does not think as I do. But I do not have to remain silent for the next few years of Conservative rule. I can still work for the changes I believe in, such as cleaning up the environment and getting better housing, education, and health care for all Canadians. Accepting is not giving up. It is working within the boundaries of the situation to make things better. It is the courage to change the things I can.
Today's Old Testament reading was about Joseph. We all know the story of his coat of many colours, and how his brothers were jealous of him, and sold him into slavery to the Egyptians. Joseph could have spent his life hating his brothers, and given up on trying to be more than a downcast slave. He could have adopted a victim mentality, because he was victimised. Instead he decided to work hard for his master Potiphar, and he excelled at all he did, to the point that Potiphar made him the head of his household. For a slave, Joseph had it pretty good. But, problem number two arose. Joseph was a very good looking man, and Potiphar's wife wanted to go to bed with him. Joseph insulted her by saying "No." So she framed him and told her husband that Joseph tried to rape her. Joseph was put into prison, where he stayed for several years.
Joseph did not despair in prison. He had a talent for interpreting dreams, and people came to him for explanations of their dreams. The Pharaoh was told of Joseph's ability after he had a long, clear dream about cows and grain. Joseph said the dream represented 7 years of plenty, followed by 7 years of famine. He recommended that the Pharaoh save grain and resources during the good years, to prepare for the lean ones. The pharaoh was so impressed with Joseph's ability and wisdom he said (Genesis 41:40-43)
40 You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you."
1 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt." 42 Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph's finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. 43 He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and men shouted before him, "Make way !" Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.
So Joseph became a very powerful man in Egypt, and during the time of the famine his own brothers came to him to beg for food. Joseph did not punish them, he welcomed them and their families, and reunited with his father. Joseph had the wisdom to forgive them for the wrong they had done to him. Throughout his whole life, Joseph made the best of every situation. He lived the Serenity Prayer.
Every one of us has had times in our lives when we feel we have been victimised, or we feel that life is unfair, or we have felt hopeless. In these situations, we have to accept the circumstances that got us into the predicament we are in. But we do not have to give up. There are always, always possibilities for happiness and hope. So often we just have to have an attitude adjustment, to try and see our situation from another perspective. Sometimes we have to rewrite the "woe-is-me" story that is running through our head. We have to stop feeling like a victim and find ways to empower ourselves. We need the courage to face our problems and find solutions we can live with.
I am not saying we will cure our problems. If you have a severe physical disability, for instance, you probably cannot change that. But you can learn to live with it. You can accentuate what is best about you and develop that to the fullest. As Helen Keller said "One can never consent to creep when one has an impulse to soar." We all know that Helen was blind and deaf . Yet she became one of the greatest teachers of the last century. She had real courage.
I am going to read this excerpt from an essay by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, from the book Handbook for the Soul (131-133) Elisabeth is best known for her work with dying patients and the stages of grief we all encounter over death. (Reading about the fire which destroyed her home and all she owned, but gave her the opportunity to move to Arizona to benear her son, and how happy she is now.)
Like Joseph, Elisabeth reframed a horrible situation into a positive one. That is a skill each of us must learn if we are to live happy, fulfilled lives. With belief in ourselves, faith in the goodness of God to guide us, and usually with the help and encouragement of others, we will all have the wisdom to know how to make the best of our lives.
