What Is the Full Text of the Original “Serenity Prayer” by Reinhold Niebuhr?
Many people know the “Serenity Prayer” as, “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.” However, there are two other versions of the prayer: a full version and the original full version.
The original full version of the “Serenity Prayer” reads, “God give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the thing which should be changed and the wisdom to distinguish 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 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.”
Over the years, the Serenity Prayer was changed to read, “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 hardship as a 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. Amen.”
