Serenity NOW!

The Serenity Prayer.

My first encounter with this little gem brought visions of rapture and insight to an oh-so intuitive wet-brain. I quickly interpreted and applied this new found tool to all aspects of my life (as follows):

"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change (the weather, unfair taxation, the Coriolis effect, etc.), the courage to change the things I can (other people), and the wisdom to know the difference (The difference in what? Weather and other people?  That makes no sense.  Stupid.)."

Much to my chagrin, my early interpretations faired poorly.  For some inexplicable reason, "other people" refused to bend to my will and affect the necessary changes in their behaviors as dictated by my elevated thought processes.  Didn't they understand the Serenity Prayer?  Silly people!

After several months of working on a solid program, my understanding of the prayer shifted:

"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change (other people), the courage to change the things I can (myself), and the wisdom to know the difference (as to who needs to change: them or me)."

Miraculously, my life suddenly grew infinitely easier.  That is to say, my relationships with other people grew infinitely easier.  Suddenly, people seemed to grow more reasonable as I grew less crabby.

Still, I struggled with the direction my life was headed.  My decision making process was a cloudy and uncertain affair at best.  After a few more months of working the program, my interpretation of the prayer shifted into its final modification:

"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change (your will), the courage to change the things I can (my will) and the wisdom to know the difference (between your will and self will)."

Inexplicably, my relationship with God grew infinitely easier.  I moved over and gave Him the wheel (and "will").  The clouds parted and sunlight broke through.

So sprouted the seedlings of spiritual maturity.  The journey into true spiritual growth had finally begun.

**************

Note:  The earliest written version of the Serenity Prayer was Reinhold Niebuhr's inclusion in a 1943 sermon.  It was recited, in it's original form, as follows:

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.

Amen.