Serenity Prayer

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The Serenity Prayer is a prayer written by Reinhold Niebuhr on July 1, 1943 for the Union Church of Heath, Massachusetts. However, the prayer is reported to have been used before that date within Alcoholics Anonymous early in 1942. ^[1] It is used in Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous and other Twelve-step programs.

The short version that most people are familiar with goes as follows:

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

courage to change the things I can,

and the wisdom to know the difference.

Alternate versions of the Serenity Prayer exist. The following version is said to be the author's favorite version in a letter supposedly written by his wife: ^[2]

God give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed,

courage to change the things which should/must be changed,

and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.

The full version of the prayer is as follows:

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;

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 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 with Him forever in the next.

Incidentally, the familiar version of the prayer violates the grammatical rule of parallel construction in the direct objects (the serenity, courage, the wisdom).

1 References to the Prayer
2 See also
3 References
4 External links

[edit] References to the Prayer

The back cover of the Neil Young album Re-ac-tor has the prayer in Latin: 'Deus, dona mihi serenitatem accipere res quae non possum mutare, fortitudinem mutare res quae possum, atque sapientiam differentiam cognoscere.' This is possibly a reaction to another son of his being born with cerebral palsy.
On the back cover of Whitney Houston's self-titled debut album.
In the song, "Higher Power", by Boston, the lead singer Fran Cosmo recites the Serenity Prayer.
In the song, "Feel so different" (1990), by Sinéad O'Connor.
In the song, "Gotta Make It To Heaven," by 50 Cent.
In the intro, "Loving" of India Arie's third album "Testimony Vol 1 - Life And Relationship."
As a track on Goodie MOb's debut album Soul Food.
In the book, "Angels & Demons," by Dan Brown, quoted by the Camerlengo (although credited to St. Francis).
In the book, Slaughterhouse Five, by Kurt Vonnegut.
An older printing of the AA's "Big Book" has the prayer: '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. Thy will, not mine, be done.'
In the game World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, one of the Blood Elves' speech recordings has one elf reciting the prayer, and breaking down half way through. The Blood Elves are addicted to magic.
The Israeli Rapper Subliminal adapts the prayer into his song "Tikvah" (Hope) about the Israeli wars and terrorism.

[edit] See also

Desiderata

[edit] References

^ The Origin of our Serenity Prayer. http://www.aahistory.com/prayer.html
^ Dr. Eberhard Zink: Das falsche Oetinger-Gebet oder Das Gelassenheitsgebet. Württembergische Landesbibliothek Stuttgart, 13. November 2001. http://www.wlb-stuttgart.de/referate/theologie/oetgeb00.html (German)