The Original Serenity Prayer

The less catchy but perhaps the differences matter. This is the original words Reinhold Niebuhr used in a sermon preached during World War II.

God, gave us grace

To accept with serenity the

things that cannot be changed

Courage to change the things 

that should be changed,

And wisdom to distinguish the 

one from the other.

Figuring out what can be changed is a process of growing in wisdom. It isn't a formula that we can thoughtlessly apply.