O God and Heavenly Father,
Grant to us the serenity of mind to accept that which cannot be changed; the courage to change that which can be changed, and the wisdom to know the one from the other, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen. Reinhold Niebuhr
Although the prayer was originally just the single sentence above, many 12-step programs have expanded it so that it now reads as follows:
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 with Him
Forever in the next.
I really think I like the simplicity of the original better than the expanded version and I especially like Niebuhr’s appeal to the Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ. Even our Christian 12-step Celebrate Recovery uses the latter version. Some things are just better in the original.