The Serenity Prayer

The Serenity Prayer is the common name for a prayer written by the American theologian Reinhold Niebuhr (1892–1971). The best-known form is:

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.

Numerous statements of more or less similar sentiments by other authors have been identified and it is likely that more will be found. The prayer has also been falsely attributed to a variety of other authors. Epictetus wrote: "Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens. Some things are up to us and some things are not up to us. Our opinions are up to us, and our impulses, desires, aversions—in short, whatever is our own doing. Our bodies are not up to us, nor are our possessions, our reputations, or our public offices, or, that is, whatever is not our own doing."

The 11th-century Jewish philosopher Solomon ibn Gabirol wrote:

“At the head of all understanding – is realizing what is and what cannot be, and the consoling of what is not in our power to change.”

The prayer became more widely known after being brought to the attention of Alcoholics Anonymous in 1941 by an early member. AA's co-founder and staff liked the prayer and had it printed in modified form and handed around. It has been part of Alcoholics Anonymous ever since, and has also been used in other twelve-step programs. (Source of those explanations : Wikipedia)

Our Deacon Benny has put this prayer into music. You can listen to it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec9oeHDQjzE