During the wee hours, mind abuzz, I have often used the Serenity Prayer to gain the calmness I need to sleep. During the fall when I was going through a particularly bad patch, the Serenity prayer was not enough. I began to wonder what other things my higher power might grant me and so extended the prayer in ways that relate to recovery in a wider sense. Here's what I came up with.
Prayer to my Higher Power
Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change
The courage to change the things I can
And the wisdom to know the difference
Grant me the humility to know my place in the world
The dignity to never humiliate myself or others
And the wisdom to know the difference
Grant me the grace to forgive those who have hurt me
The blessings of forgiveness from those I have hurt
And the wisdom to know the difference
Grant me the willingness to discover the exact nature of my wrongs
The strength to overcome my defects of character
And the wisdom to know the difference
Grant me the joys of an awakened spirit
The pleasures of a happy and successful life
And the wisdom to know there is no difference
26 October 2010. **I wonder what other members of the program might have asked of their higher power? Would love to know.Ciao!Vian
I often dwell on (in) the complete "Serenity Prayer" and unfailingly receive incredible relief and peace so I can go on with my 11th step.
The Complete Original
Prayer for Serenity by Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971)
God, give us grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things which should be changed, and the Wisdom to distinguish the 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 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.
The Serenity Prayer
Adapted by A.A. and Published in the Grapevine in 1950
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.
