Many of us have heard abbreviated version of this well-known prayer. You know, "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."
Until recently I wasn't aware that the version that I had memorized and recited over the years was actually incorrect. The original prayer was written by Reinhold Niebuhr in the late 1930's or 1940's.
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 first verse is nice and has served me well throughout the years to withstand some difficult days. But how I wish I would have known the second verse all this time! Such a wonderful message!
