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How the Serenity Prayer Can Change your Life
The serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference
“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.”
If you haven’t heard the serenity prayer before, many people live their lives according to this wisdom. Many substance abuse recovery programs actually rely on it to close out their group meetings.
The prayer is attributed to Reinhold Niebhur, a public theologian, ethicist and professor at the Union Theological Seminary. Many prominent academics, activists (such as Martin Luther King Jr.) and politicians (such as former president Barack Obama) have cited Niebhur’s influence on their thinking.
Widely popularized as a central prayer in Alcoholics Anonymous, the serenity prayer has become one of the most widely known prayers in the world, and it contains a wealth of knowledge within very few words. It has helped many to change their lives by understanding their limitations, accepting certain realities that cannot be changed and relinquishing attempts to control…
