Do you know the full serenity prayer? The first part is often used in addiction recovery programs and my grandma even had it cross stitched and framed on her living room wall. But did you know there’s more to it?

Learning and meditating on this prayer helped me to refocus on God during some very stressful times in my life.

I return to it again and again when my anxiety flares up or when I find myself grasping for control. I’ll share it here in case you might find some peace in it, too.

Prayer for Serenity

God, grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change,

the courage to change the thing I can,

and the 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 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.