Kindred,
The problem with the power of Caesar is that it is not the power of the Lord.
Do not confuse power with wisdom.
Power is nothing until wielded properly.
Abuse of power is not power used wisely, but in harm and destruction, thus sinful.
To mistake power within as strength of confidence is to have its force block any reception of what is holy or unholy; a fist cannot receive.
To try to control fears and insecurities is to never face your fears and brave the truth.
To try to use your power to control others is to think only of your selfish desires and never letting that person be themselves and become what the Lord intended, thus very unholy and sacrilegious.
To try to control your sins is like trying to control substance abuse or eating disorders; you must first confess you have a problem before you can get to the root causes, repent and atone and go through the twelve steps.
The Serenity prayer helps to recognize that we are responsible for our own actions.
Let go of the things that are beyond our control.
It does not mean that we do not have a collective responsibility to do what we can to help and serve the Lord and humanity
Do not look upon power as anything, but responsibility; what you are responsible for.
You are responsible for your own actions.
You are responsible for your character while you are determining your action
You decide who you want to be under any situation and any condition; therefore, there is no situation or condition in which you do not have a choice.
That choice determines your character and shapes who you are.
I hope you escape the trappings of the body, the material world and ignorant power, because none of it can be presented to the Lord in the end.
What you present of yourself to the Lord in the end are the culmination of your choices which shaped your character.
If you have managed to pass your tests of character, I doubt you will have any problems entering heaven.
If you have not passed some, there is still time for corrective action; simply acknowledge the fails, repent and atone.
"God, grant me the seren
to accept the things I cannot change
the courage to change the things I can
and the wisdom to know the difference."
- Reinhold Niebuhr
