Serenity prayer....al anon slogan...
Serenity prayer....al anon slogan...
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
Considered a sacred flower in the Orient and a symbol of virtue and purity in classical art, the LOTUS has come to represent transcendence and contemplation. Here it is used ot illustrate the SERENTIY PRAYER, three powerful lines of inspiration that provide the meditiative foundation for the AL ANON program
In this prayer, we first ask God for serentiy to accept the things we cannot change. This means ridding our minds of clutter confusion and conflict so that we can examine our situation with greater clarity. As we focus on ourselves and on the present moment, we begin to recongnize that which is beyond our control we pray to accept. We may not like it, we many not support it, but before we can let go of it, we must accept it. Denying reality is a futile, self-defeating exercise that squanders our valuable energy and deprives us of the freedom to make meaningful choices.
In the second line of the prayer, we ask for the courage to change the things we can. Once we have accepted our powerlessness over people, place and things, we are ready to take responsiblity for making changes in our own attitudes and behaviour. For many of us, self-will and control enabled us to avoid making changes within ourselves--we masked our fear of change by hiding behind someones else's character defects, trapped in a maze of frustrations and resentment as we tried to play GOD. In the SERENTIY PRAYER, we ask our Higher Power for th courage, confident that with divine guidance, our course of action will be meaningful and constructive.
And finally, we pray for the wisdom to know the difference. With God's help, we can identify where powerlessness ends and responsibility begins. With God's help, we can develop a senxe of proportion in order to distinguish between those things we can let go of and those that require our attention
Practicing the princilples of AL ANON program maintains our serentiy, fortifies our courage, and deepens our wisdom. As we contemplate the serene beauty of the LOTUS, let us acknowledge our ability to meet life's challenges with composure and strength.
I cannot change, COURAGE to change the things
I can and the WISDOM to know the difference
Considered a sacred flower in the Orient and a symbol of virtue and purity in classical art, the LOTUS has come to represent transcendence and contemplation. Here it is used ot illustrate the SERENTIY PRAYER, three powerful lines of inspiration that provide the meditiative foundation for the AL ANON program
In this prayer, we first ask God for serentiy to accept the things we cannot change. This means ridding our minds of clutter confusion and conflict so that we can examine our situation with greater clarity. As we focus on ourselves and on the present moment, we begin to recongnize that which is beyond our control we pray to accept. We may not like it, we many not support it, but before we can let go of it, we must accept it. Denying reality is a futile, self-defeating exercise that squanders our valuable energy and deprives us of the freedom to make meaningful choices.
In the second line of the prayer, we ask for the courage to change the things we can. Once we have accepted our powerlessness over people, place and things, we are ready to take responsiblity for making changes in our own attitudes and behaviour. For many of us, self-will and control enabled us to avoid making changes within ourselves--we masked our fear of change by hiding behind someones else's character defects, trapped in a maze of frustrations and resentment as we tried to play GOD. In the SERENTIY PRAYER, we ask our Higher Power for th courage, confident that with divine guidance, our course of action will be meaningful and constructive.
And finally, we pray for the wisdom to know the difference. With God's help, we can identify where powerlessness ends and responsibility begins. With God's help, we can develop a senxe of proportion in order to distinguish between those things we can let go of and those that require our attention
Practicing the princilples of AL ANON program maintains our serentiy, fortifies our courage, and deepens our wisdom. As we contemplate the serene beauty of the LOTUS, let us acknowledge our ability to meet life's challenges with composure and strength.
To thine own self be true.
Join Date: May 2009
Location: U.S.A.
Posts: 5,924
WOW FourMaggie!!! Right On Time for me!!! I JUST posted how I needed to return to the serenity prayer every day and here you have posted this wonderful information! How did you know I needed this?!?! THANK YOU!
Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Australia
Posts: 281
Wow fourmaggie, I really needed to read this! A couple of weeks ago at an Al-Anon meeting, we were reading the Serenity Prayer and I said out loud that I still haven't figured out exactly what it means! I didn't want to keep saying it without knowing the true depth of it's meaning. Thank you so much for sharing what you've learned....
Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: California, USA
Posts: 293
The Serenity Prayer is my lifeline! I usually don't say "God" but rather "HPs" or "Universe" but it doesn't matter, it's a beautiful prayer!
Someone also sent me an extended version that I really like:
God, grant us
the Serenity to accept things we cannot change
Courage to change the things we can
Wisdom to know the difference
Patience for the things that take time
Appreciation for all that we have
Tolerance for those with different struggles
Freedom to live beyond the limitations of our past ways
Ability to feel your love for us & our love for each other &
Strength to get up again & again,
to continue to try again even when we feel it is hopeless
Thank you SRF!
Someone also sent me an extended version that I really like:
God, grant us
the Serenity to accept things we cannot change
Courage to change the things we can
Wisdom to know the difference
Patience for the things that take time
Appreciation for all that we have
Tolerance for those with different struggles
Freedom to live beyond the limitations of our past ways
Ability to feel your love for us & our love for each other &
Strength to get up again & again,
to continue to try again even when we feel it is hopeless
Thank you SRF!
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