On one of the last days of my Ethics class, my professor told us about one of the worse experiences of his professional career. At the end of the story he began reading from an article that he wrote to the Journal of Psychology and Christianity about what he learned through this experience. It basically was the turning point for him to become an expert in ethics, in light of being wrongfully sued for following ethicial procedures. Here is an excerpt from this article:
"It is in looking back that I now can see the answers to my prayers. My experience of myself and my observations of others have taught me that when we pray to better understand forgiveness, we don't pray for the trials that teach us to forgive. We pray for wisdom, but we don't pray for the mistakes that make us wise. We pray for courage, but we don't pray for the challenges that make us strong. We pray for serenity, but we don't pray for the experiences that give us peace. We pray for faith, but we don't pray for doubt that is faith turned inside out.
In my own version of the Serenity Prayer, I often find myself praying for serenity, even if it means facing conflicts that ultimately bring peace:
God,
Grant me serenity,
Give me hardships that bring me peace.
Grant me courage,
Give me the tasks that make me strong.
Grant me wisdom,
And the trials that make me wise."
~Dr. Doverspike, Psychological Studies Institute, published Fall 2005
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