The serenity prayer is probably the classic prayer of surrender. The traditional prayer is:
God 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.
I created my version. I substitute “discernment” for wisdom.
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the discernment to know the difference.
I wish I had innate wisdom. I wish Krishna could give me “divine eyes” (divyain dadami te caksuh) he gave Arjuna in Chapter 11 verse 4 of the Bhagavad Gita”. However, the best I can offer is my perception of truth.
Discernment is the ability to perceive, understand, and judge things clearly, especially those that are not obvious or straightforward. I have developed my discernment based upon my training and experience.
How do I develop discernment. You need to have sufficient courage to make mistakes and learn the life lessons accompanying those mistakes. I must suffer defeat, and experience despair. These are the tools God uses to develop discernment in me.
Here are some variations of the serenity prayer:
