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Sunday Seasoned Sayings: Original Serenity

September 4, 2011 By Sandra Heska King

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.

This is my mother’s favorite prayer.

It is an abbreviated version.

Here is the original.

Original Serenity Prayer

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.

~Reinhold Niebuhr

 

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Filed Under: stories and reflections

Comments

  1. Sara Biskie says

    September 5, 2011 at 11:36 am

    Praying for you as you visit Mom. Also praying for her healing.

  2. Michelle DeRusha says

    September 5, 2011 at 9:48 pm

    I’ve always loved the serenity prayer. Praying peace for you tonight, Sandy.

  3. Jennifer@GDWJ says

    September 5, 2011 at 11:15 pm

    ” … accepting hardship as a pathway to peace.”

    Hard words to read, even harder ones to live. Yet wise, wise words here — wisdom necessary for every valley-walk.

  4. Sheila says

    September 6, 2011 at 10:01 am

    Sandy,
    Thank you. I never knew there was “more” to the prayer. I love the original.

    Jennifer nailed it, I think.

    S.

  5. Melinda Lancaster says

    September 9, 2011 at 11:19 pm

    Oh wow. Like some of the other friends I did not know there was an expanded version to this prayer. It has even more meaning to me now. Thank you for sharing it.

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