When we celebrated January 1, 2020, many of our thoughts were focused on the good things we were expecting. However, suddenly, and with little warning and even less preparation or preparedness, nations around the world found themselves scrambling to figure out how best to deal with the devastating blow that an unseen enemy, in the form of a virus, could wreak havoc on our lives.

One can find ample justification for allowing such personal and global devastation to negatively influence thoughts about everything held dear. For that to happen though, we have to choose to participate in receiving and accepting such thoughts as our new reality.

Today, I present a different option.

I invite you to actively mind your thoughts. Keep your thoughts focused on the things that you can control and that you can change. I offer you the Serenity Prayer, written by theologian Reinhold Niebuhr. It has the power to pull you back from the brink of self-inflicted destruction as you learn to trust in your own ability to determine which thoughts you will accept or throw away.

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.

Image from Pixaby