In Help, Thanks, Wow, author Anne Lamott reminds us that there are three things in life we cannot change: the past, the truth, and other people. It appears that Jesus has embraced all three of these obstacles in his hometown of Nazareth.

The people only saw Jesus as the son of a carpenter — a local Nazarene. To them Jesus was only a man like them. He could not change the past.

Although Jesus wowed the listeners in the synagogue with words of truth and prophecy, the message he delivered from God was rejected. He could not change the truth.

And Jesus sadly admits he was appalled by the people’s disbelief. In this case, even the Son of God could not change the people’s hearts and minds.

This reminds me of the abbreviated “Serenity Prayer”:

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.

By Natalie Nicholas Adams from D365