The Serenity Prayer

The Serenity Prayer is the common name for an originally untitled prayer attributed to the theologian, Reinhold Niebuhr, in the 1930’s. It is used by such groups as Alcoholics Anonymous.

Every once in awhile and most often when I feel overwhelmed by happenings in my life, I come across this prayer, seemingly by accident.

The short version is:

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.

I like the full version:

God, grant us the
Serenity to accept things we cannot change,
Courage to change the things we can, and the
Wisdom to know the difference
Patience for the things that take time
Appreciation for all that we have, and
Tolerance for those with different struggles
Freedom to live beyond the limitations of our past ways, the
Ability to feel your love for us and our love for each other and the
Strength to get up and try again even when we feel it is hopeless.

As a close friend said to me today, ‘just keep thinking, it’ll all be over soon’.