God, grant me the serenity
The prayer begins not with a demand but a request for a gift — serenity is received, not manufactured
to accept the things I cannot change,
Acceptance is not passivity — it is the courage to stop fighting what is beyond your control
the courage to change the things I can,
Courage implies that change is hard, costly, and frightening — but still necessary
and the wisdom to know the difference.
The hardest part: discernment between the unchangeable and the actionable — a lifelong practice
Living one day at a time,
enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardship as a pathway to peace;
taking, as He 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.
The Logic of Serenity
Serenity
to accept what
I cannot change
surrender
Courage
to change what
I can
action
Wisdom
to know the
difference
discernment
Echoes of the Lord's Prayer
Serenity ← your will be done
Courage ← your kingdom come
Wisdom ← deliver us from evil
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