SERENITY PRAYER

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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.

This prayer is largely associated with Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), but it was not written for them.  A member discovered it in an obituary in 1939 and brought it to Bill W., a co-founder of AA, who was an Episcopal priest.  It was perfect for the situation of an alcoholic, and AA promoted it widely. 

The only place it appears in its original version is in the obituary, although it is very close to what the theologian Dr. Rheinhold Niebuhr wrote as an ending to a sermon he gave on Practical Christianity.  Even he, however, admitted that it may have been around for years, even centuries.  There are hints of the wording of the prayer in many different places.  The concepts – but not the wording – have been traced back to Boethius (480-524 AD).

Alcoholics Anonymous version
God grant me serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.

Reinholt Niebuhr’s original version
God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things which should be changed,
And the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.

Christian version
Almighty God, our Heavenly Father,
Give us serenity to accept what cannot be changed,
Courage to change what should be changed,
And wisdom to know the one from the other;
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen

As with all prayers, the exact wording is less important than what is in your heart when you say it. 

After the prayer became popular, Niebuhr issued an expanded version. 

Niebuhr’s expanded version:
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.

Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking 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.  Amen

Irish version of Niebuhr’s expansion:
God take and receive my liberty, my memory, my understanding and will.
All that I am and have He has given me.

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,
That I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy in the next.  Amen