Faith & Life
Reasonably Happy
Walking alongside someone in grief reminded me of what we are actually allowed to expect from this life.
I recently had the opportunity to walk alongside someone who was in crisis.
This person had just experienced a tragic death. Living with the aftermath of that kind of loss feels overwhelming, unfair, and to be honest — pretty sucky. There is no other word for it sometimes. It just is.
In moments like these, my prayer to God is simply this: "Why, God? We don't understand." I do not mean it rudely or disrespectfully. But if prayer is just talking to God, then as far as I am concerned, that prayer counts. A hundred percent.
We teach that God is merciful and loving and kind and gentle. And so often, that is simply not our experience. The gap between what we profess and what we feel can be enormous. And I think God is big enough to hold that tension with us.
In times like these, I keep coming back to the Serenity Prayer. Not as a platitude, but as a genuine reset for the soul.
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardship as a pathway to peace;
taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is,
not as I would have it;
trusting that You will make all things right
if I surrender to Your will;
so that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with You forever in the next.
The Serenity Prayer
Did you catch that? Reasonably happy. Not perfectly happy. Not supremely happy. Reasonably happy. That is all we should expect in this life.
And you know what? I can say that. I am reasonably happy. Perfectly happy? No. Supremely happy? Definitely not. But that was never the promise. That was never what this life was meant to deliver. And somehow, having that expectation reset is one of the most freeing things I have ever encountered.
(And for the record, I do think I have had some pretty supremely happy moments along the way. But those are gifts, not guarantees.)
Thank you, Lord, for resetting the expectations. For helping us understand that this is a broken world, and that the brokenness is not from You. You did not design us for this pain. But You have given us something better than a pain-free life. You have given us hope. Hope for a supremely happy life in the next.
That is enough. More than enough.
Are you walking through something heavy right now? You are not alone, and your honest prayers — even the "Why, God?" ones — absolutely count. Pray for me! I will pray for you. 🙏
