As we go through life, we are often bombarded on every side with all kinds of troubles. Sometimes, the challenges of life may be so difficult that it seems that there is no way out. A good prayer to pray at such times is the Serenity Prayer.
Today, it is used by many twelve-step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Many of their groups recite it at every meeting. However, the prayer has been around for a long time. The original recorded form of the prayer that was done by Reinhold Niebuhr is:
God, give us grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.
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.
Amen.
The AA programs have modified the first four lines as follows:
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.
Another prayer that can be extremely helpful is the prayer of St Francis of Assisi
