I see the Serenity Prayer quite often on posters, cards and inspirational quotes.
You know the one:
God Grant Me Serenity
To Accept the Things I Cannot Change
Courage to Change the Things I Can
And Wisdom to Know the Difference
It’s tried and true and when I stop and really say the words slowly with intention and let them soak in, it means a lot more. I found a version of The Serenity Prayer that I’ve had for nearly twenty years written down in an old journal. To me when I read the added details for each line of the prayer it provides depth and context. It feels comforting. I’d even say it offers healing and hope for those who need it to soak in deeper just like I had years ago.
Read it slowly for added joy and comfort - read it out loud to yourself and then to your spouse, your kids, a friend or two, some family members. I did. I read it to ten people this past week an each one loved hearing it, just as much as I loved reading it to them, again and again. The good stuff never gets old. Try it and let me know how meaningful this version is to you.
God Grant Me Serenity…
Serenity meaning that I no longer recoil from the past, live in jeopardy because of my behavior now, or worry about the unknown future. I seek regular times to re-create myself and I avoid those times of depletion which make me vulnerable to despair and old self-destructive patterns.
To Accept the Things I Cannot Change…
Accept change in that I not cause suffering for myself by clinging to that which no longer exists. All that I can count on is that nothing will be stable except how I respond to the transforming cycles in my life of birth, growth and death.
Courage to Know the Things I Can…
Which means remembering that to give up my attempts to control outcomes does not require I give up my boundaries or my best efforts. It does mean my most honest appraisal of the limits of what I can do.
And Wisdom to Know the Difference…
Wisdom becomes the never-forgotten recognition of all those times when there was no way out, and new paths opened up like miracles in my life.
-Anonymous
You know the one:
God Grant Me Serenity
To Accept the Things I Cannot Change
Courage to Change the Things I Can
And Wisdom to Know the Difference
It’s tried and true and when I stop and really say the words slowly with intention and let them soak in, it means a lot more. I found a version of The Serenity Prayer that I’ve had for nearly twenty years written down in an old journal. To me when I read the added details for each line of the prayer it provides depth and context. It feels comforting. I’d even say it offers healing and hope for those who need it to soak in deeper just like I had years ago.
Read it slowly for added joy and comfort - read it out loud to yourself and then to your spouse, your kids, a friend or two, some family members. I did. I read it to ten people this past week an each one loved hearing it, just as much as I loved reading it to them, again and again. The good stuff never gets old. Try it and let me know how meaningful this version is to you.
God Grant Me Serenity…
Serenity meaning that I no longer recoil from the past, live in jeopardy because of my behavior now, or worry about the unknown future. I seek regular times to re-create myself and I avoid those times of depletion which make me vulnerable to despair and old self-destructive patterns.
To Accept the Things I Cannot Change…
Accept change in that I not cause suffering for myself by clinging to that which no longer exists. All that I can count on is that nothing will be stable except how I respond to the transforming cycles in my life of birth, growth and death.
Courage to Know the Things I Can…
Which means remembering that to give up my attempts to control outcomes does not require I give up my boundaries or my best efforts. It does mean my most honest appraisal of the limits of what I can do.
And Wisdom to Know the Difference…
Wisdom becomes the never-forgotten recognition of all those times when there was no way out, and new paths opened up like miracles in my life.
-Anonymous
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