The Serenity Prayer

'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'.


Most folks referred to this prayer as the AA Prayer, due to the fact that it has been used by Alcoholics Anonymous since the early 1940's, but by the late forties it became better known as 'The Serenity Prayer'.  Today, there is still a mystery as to who the 'real' author of this simple yet powerful prayer is.  It has been identified as a General Prayer from the fourteenth century England.  While Reinhold Niebuhr is given credit as being the author.  Whomever wrote this prayer, no one can dispute that Niebuhr and AA have made it one of the most commonly known prayers in the United Stated and the world.   (Thanks to Bartleby.com  for this information.)

Just thought you may be as interested as to the origin of this prayer as I was.  I Googled it and came up with several places with facts and facts that have been checked and rechecked and then discarded for someone else could dispute their findings.  As, if you are interested and you Google as I did, the mystery behind the author of this prayer may continue for some time to come.  Check it out, there are some very interesting facts and fictions attached to this prayer.

Moving on, I want to explore what, to me, this prayer means and how I apply it and learn from it in my life daily.  First, lets look at the beginning of the prayer 'God, grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change'.  Serenity mean peace of mind.  And accept is to agree or consent to .   So, for me, this first line is telling me that God can give me the peace of mind to agree to or consent to things that I cannot change.  No matter what I do or say these things will not change and I have to learn to live with them as best I can and God will help me do that by giving me peace of mind in those areas.

'The Courage to change the things I can.'  Courage is the nerve to perform an action.  Here I feel this is telling me that God will aid me in performing an action that will be needed to make the changes that I need to make.  From experience, some things are just so hard to change because if there is one thing that all addicts have in common it is the fact that we HATE change.  Change has never been easy for an addict and especially not for this addict.  But as I pray this prayer, God will help me in the areas that I need and will give me guidance to make the changes needed for me to continue to grow.

Now, that final line 'and the Wisdom to know the difference.'  Wisdom here is the understanding of things.  I am asking God to give me that understanding as to what I can change and what I cannot.  To guide me and to help me do what is right for me in my life.  I cannot always worry about what others think or say.  No one knows me better than God.  The more that I strengthen my relationship with God, the better He and I understand each other.

This simple prayer has a lot of power in its words.  It is a very powerful prayer.  Someone asked me a few weeks ago if I knew the Serenity Prayer.  I told them yes, I use that prayer several times a day sometimes just to get through that day.  Does it really work? they asked.  Again my answer was yes.  It may not always work the moment I say the prayer.  I have to, and am trying to, learn to listen to what God is telling me and how I should respond.  The closer my relationship with God gets, the better understanding I have.

Some people like to question me about my relationship with God and what my understanding of God is.  To those I can only say that God is the only one that needs to know what our relationship is and how it works for me and God, not anyone else.  Some people feel that if  you don't believe the way they do, then you are wrong.  I say this prayer is very simple and straight to the point.  In my recovery I don't have time trying to say a long drawn out prayer just to get God to listen to me.  He listens to me all the time.  And I listen for His answers.  I may not like what the answers are sometimes but I have to accept them for good, bad or indifferent.

Life is not always a smooth ride nor a bowl of cherries, but it is what it is.  We all have things and people that are hard to understand or change.  Some changes take more time than others.  No one is perfect, but that should not stop anyone from striving to be perfect.  Those in your life that may not understand or question your spirituality or religious beliefs should look to themselves first.

Yes, I am in recovery and I do my best to live by the spiritual and religious principles that I have learned.  Sometimes it can be hard.  But I have learned and relearned that it is not my place to judge anyone, lest I be judged.  God is the only one that can judge anyone, it is not for man to do.

This is a post that I have been working on for a bit now.  Simply because of wanting people to understand that yes this is a small prayer with few words, but a very powerful prayer with large meaning behind it's words.  As I reflect back, I do understand why some may question me, but do not understand the judgments they presume to know or place on me.  I am human and there in itself am subject to not be perfect in all areas of my life.  I can humble myself to be able to say that I am not perfect, I am still learning, that I need direction from someone else from time to time.  Somethings I think most of the people I know feel.

So, if you are like me and know you are not perfect, I hope that you can find comfort as I do in the Serenity Prayer.  But if you are like others that presume to know all things, then may you see that God can still teach you things as long as you remain teachable.  I feel that the moment I am no longer teachable will be the beginning of my end.  If I am not teachable then there can be no growth and with no growth things will stay the same or get worse.  When things stay the same and nothing changes, because nothing changes, then nothing will change, not even me.

I no longer run from the truth.  I can only ask for understanding when that truth is hurtful to another.  I have asked for forgiveness and understanding for things I have done and said to some folks.  Most have been understanding as to where I was and how I try my best not to go there any more.  There are some that still insist on questioning my beliefs and ways.  They are the people that have a need to control and I cannot and will not be controlled by anyone except God.  Like it or not that is just how things are these days.

I love each and everyone of you and am praying that the best will happen in your lives this year.  I ask that you please continue to pray for me and my recovery, as I pray for those that have mostly bad feelings for me.  We all need pray, just some more than others.  Try it.  This simple small prayer.  You tell me, does it work or not.  Can you get closer to someone who cannot get past their own opinion of  you long enough for God to say 'Hey, you know they are really trying their best.  Do you think that you have the right to pass judgement on someone just because you have not taken the time that is needed to get to know that person?  I say no.  That right is for God and God only!