Full Original Serenity Prayer
by Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971)
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.
Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus 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.
I've been praying this prayer a lot over the past week, well, at least the first part. Which is lucky for me since I don't like the use of "reasonably" in the second part of prayer. It's been working 9/10 times in helping me fall asleep. My mind just works and works even when I am not doing anything and this is even more so if I am particularly stressed about something (and I've had a number of somethings the past few days). I found this quote online today:
The teacher is within,
So you have to learn to be still.
You have to live your life
So that you are listening within
No matter what you are doing.
-Bartholomew
I am hoping this will be additional help. So far no effect though. *Sigh
6 comments:
I was trying to blog about that prayer a month ago, and realized I was still wrestling with the words. What does "the wisdom to know the difference" really mean? And will the difference be different from one person to another? Why, for example, do some people begin revolutions despite seemingly impossible odds? I'm really confused. Even my own question is confusing.
I thought of you as I read this:
The Practice of Surrender
It's actually on the yoga principle of being mindful of everything you do and offering it to Divinity, but it might help. At the very least, there's a "Me, me, me" line there that reminded me of our (QA) inside joke. :)
Love you, Vicki!
This prayer is so powerful but I think the power lies in the person praying it as well. If you truly believe that you can let go and let things (that you cannot control) be, then I think you'll see the results of the prayer soon enough. That is not to say that the process is easy, though. Praying it with you, Vicki!
Yanka, Wow. Deep thoughts. I honestly didn't look into it any more than face value. For me, the first part simplified is: peace in acceptance of things that are just the way they are, bravery when trying to make things better, and awareness of when it's time to invest or move on. I guess I am not that profound. As for your second questions, I have absolutely no answer. Not very helpful huh?
Affie, I have to look at that link leisurely I think. Hehehehe =)
I tried this serenity thang the other day, but it didn't work. Is it me or did I dial the wrong number? Oh wait, I forgot — I've been an atheist for 3 years now. Hehehe. Ooops, wrong number.
You are tooo funny Andy Marie!!
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