Have you ever thought you knew something, and found out that you only knew half of it? For many of us, “church folk,” it happens all of the time. Because so many aspects of the faith are full of mystery, or so complex that volumes could be written about them, it is easy to see why we can learn something new every day. On the other hand, however, I never expected to encounter this situation in regards to something like the very familiar “Serenity Prayer.” If you are like me, you might think that you can quote the entire thing. After all, it is printed on posters, pillows, and more!
The day that I first encountered the entire prayer that Reinhold Niebuhr wrote, was one that changed my perspective on many aspects of living in relationship with God. If you haven’t read it in its entirety, I hope it can do the same for you. This version is very close to the original, and contains the familiar phrasing within the first half of the prayer. Peace…
God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things
I cannot change,
Courage to change the
things I can, and the
wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardship 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 (1926)