serenity and so much more

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. (Written by Reinhold Neibuhr in the 1930s)

Every night, after I go bed, I recite the Lord’s Prayer in my head and follow that with all the things I am thankful for, all the things I’ve done which need to be forgiven, and my long list of prayer requests.

The last few months, I’ve added the serenity prayer. Thinking about that prayer, I’ve changed things around a bit and added something like this:

God grant me peace, God take away my fear.  

God grant me healing, God take away my pain.

God grant me rest, God take away my anxiety.  

You get the idea, and I’m sure you can come up with your own list. I’ve been reciting this new list in my head until I drift off to sleep, which is one of those things I always ask God to grant me.

Anyway, it’s just a thought for something for you to try if you feel your prayer life is stagnant.

Also have you read the entire Serenity 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.

 

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;

So that I may be reasonably happy in this life

 

And supremely happy with Him

Forever and ever in the next.

Amen