The Serenity Prayer

I’m sure most of you have seen “The Serenity Prayer” before.

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.

My grandmother loved this prayer, and I am learning to love it more and more.  The longer we live the more we see the need for serenity.  We experience difficulty in life and know that we need peace and strength to endure.  We need a quietness of soul and mind that will help us keep our joy. 

Serenity is defined (by Merriam-Webster) as, “the quality or state of being serene”.  How does MW define “serene”?  Clear and free of storms or unpleasant change… shining bright and steady.

Do you long for more serenity in your life?

When I Googled “The Serenity Prayer”, I discovered something very interesting.  Perhaps you know that this heartfelt prayer does not end with those four lines typed above but continues with even more great definition and purpose in surrendering to God’s will.

Read this S-L-O-W-L-Y:

Living one day at a time;

Enjoying one moment at a time;

Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;

Taking, as He did, this sinful world

as it is, not as I would have it;

Trusting that He will make all things right

if I surrender to His Will;

That I may be reasonably happy in this life

and supremely happy with Him

Forever in the next.
Amen.

~Reinhold Niebuhr

Yes friends, those are the keys for gaining serenity:  living day by day, enjoying life, accepting hardship, embracing God’s will and trusting Him, realizing that we will, some day, be immensely happy – forever – with Him.  Amen!

God grant me the serenity…