The Serenity Prayer - Leftovers

Sunday we merged two of my favorite spiritual tools - the twelfth chapter of Second Corinthians and the renowned Serenity Prayer. The pair intersected at the great theme of acceptance; Paul wrestling with an intractable pain he referred to as a thorn in the flesh and the Serenity Prayer's appeal for the calmness of soul to accept those things we can not change.

The original version of the Serenity Prayer, popularized by the recovery movement, has been attributed to the twentieth century theologian Reinhold Niebuhr and began circulating widely by the late 1930s. At some point an anonymous author added a section leaving the full version:

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.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships 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;
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him forever and ever in the next.

That, my friends, is worthy of frequent usage.

My prayer for you today is that your life will be filled with serenity, courage and wisdom. And may we all truly rest in the hand of the One Who holds the universe and Who will finally make all things well.

Peace to you,

Stan