March 27, 2023
“God, grant me the serenity.”
– Reinhold Niebuhr
All of us know the Serenity Prayer, but not enough of us actually pray it. Not enough of us meditate on the words. For such a short prayer, it packs a lot of spiritual punch.
People in recovery, who belong to 12 Step programs, regularly say it at their meetings. Bereavement groups turn to it for solace, when members are confronting the greatest pain imaginable — the death of a loved one.
It’s a prayer for all people. Over the years, it has been cited by everyone from singer Neil Young to comic strip characters Calvin and Hobbes, author Kurt Vonnegut, and Bill W., the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous.
While there is some uncertainty regarding the prayer’s origins, it is generally attributed to the Lutheran theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, who popularized its use in sermons and articles, although Winnifred Crane Wygal, a YMCA official and pupil of Niebuhr, has been credited with writing an early version.
The prayer was first published in the 1930s during the Great Depression, and it became popular at a time in our nation’s history when it was needed. It is believed to have been given the name “Serenity Prayer” in 1950, when it appeared in the Alcoholics Anonymous publication, “The Grape Vine.”
In a few words, it says a great deal. The best way to say the Serenity Prayer is slowly, while meditating on each phrase and its meaning for your life and your healing journey. It’s also wise to occasionally pray the longer version, which contains even more secrets to spiritual growth:
“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference, living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; taking this world as it is and 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.”
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Pause, pray slowly and meditate on the words as they apply to your life.