{"id":1485,"date":"2015-12-09T14:43:17","date_gmt":"2015-12-09T06:43:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bridgesofhope.com.ph\/?p=1485"},"modified":"2015-12-10T13:12:10","modified_gmt":"2015-12-10T05:12:10","slug":"serenity-prayer-bridges-of-hope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bridgesofhope.com.ph\/index.php\/serenity-prayer-bridges-of-hope\/","title":{"rendered":"What the Serenity Prayer Means in Your Recovery"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/bridgesofhope.com.ph\/index.php\/2015\/03\/03\/serenity-prayer-and-recovery\/\" target=\"_blank\">Serenity Prayer<\/a> is perhaps one of the most popular prayer or recitation piece for those who are struggling with addiction or are undertaking the path to recovery. But what does it really mean? Where did it come from?<\/p>\n<p>Here, we breakdown the history and meaning of the Serenity Prayer and how it can impact your recovery.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bridgesofhope.com.ph\/wp-content\/uploads\/serenity-prayer-bridges-of-hope.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1487\" src=\"https:\/\/bridgesofhope.com.ph\/wp-content\/uploads\/serenity-prayer-bridges-of-hope-300x270.jpg\" alt=\"serenity-prayer-bridges-of-hope\" width=\"300\" height=\"270\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bridgesofhope.com.ph\/wp-content\/uploads\/serenity-prayer-bridges-of-hope-300x270.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bridgesofhope.com.ph\/wp-content\/uploads\/serenity-prayer-bridges-of-hope.jpg 445w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong>History of the Serenity Prayer<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The Serenity Prayer as we know started off different, and was not used by 12-Step Groups as it is now. The Serenity Prayer was created in 937 by Karl Paul Reinhold Niebhur, a theologian. It used to go like this:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Father, give us courage to change what must be altered, serenity to accept what cannot be helped, and the insight to know the one from the other.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>In time, this prayer was adopted by 12-Step Groups, and took on the version that we know today:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can change, and wisdom to know the difference.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>While the Serenity Prayer&#8217;s use of the word &#8220;God&#8221; may leave non-believers uncomfortable, it still has many things to offer them regardless of their religious ideas or lack thereof. A good way for non-believers to interpret this is to use &#8220;God&#8221; and view it as their own inner instinct, inner wisdom, or inner self. The important thing is to look beyond religious boundaries and see the actual sentiment behind this prayer.<\/p>\n<h3>The Serenity Prayer Helps in Your Recovery<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>First, it helps you understand how to accept whatever circumstance you have in your life. While you are in control of your own life, there are still many things that you have no control over. The Serenity Prayer reminds you of that. If you do not accept your circumstances, you may have a hard time dealing with them, therefore making you more prone to succumb to destructive ways of coping, such as drug and alcohol use. By accepting things, you have a way of working around those things that you just have no power over.<\/li>\n<li>Some people go through life in fear. They are afraid of change, of risks, of doing something because they don&#8217;t have enough courage. In addiction, one should have the courage to change, even if this means stepping out of their comfort zones and getting rid of old habits.<\/li>\n<li>Having serenity through it all means understanding and appreciating the balance of life. This means having enough stability, awareness, and yet&#8211;still&#8211;acceptance in whatever moment or circumstance you are in. After all, you cannot appreciate the light without the dark, happiness without a tinge of sadness. This allows you to better deal with things with serenity as they come along in your life.<\/li>\n<li>You have to be wise in your recovery. It is easy to go back in your old ways when times get tough. However, the Serenity Prayer teaches you to set aside your own arrogance and instead arm yourself with wisdom. Think of the long-term effects of your decisions. Know when to let go and move on, and when to fight the good fight.<\/li>\n<li>Be empowered in your recovery is another lesson. You have the power to be happy or sad about your own life. You also have the power to change it, and often, it also takes great power to learn to simply walk away. It is all up to you. The important thing is to direct your energy towards things that you can change instead of dwelling on problems and things you have no control over.<\/li>\n<li>A lesson on humility: Often, people deny their weaknesses and limitations. In addiction, people often fall pray to its trap because they think they are different, that the things that happen to addicts around them will not happen to them&#8211;and this is very wrong. It is by accepting your weaknesses that you become stronger and better. There is nothing wrong with knowing that you cannot always have things your way, and that it&#8217;s alright to acknowledge that there are things that you really have no power over.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>There are many other things that the Serenity Prayer can teach you. It depends on your own life story and the part this prayer plays in any aspects of your life and decisions, especially in your road to recovery.<\/p>\n<p>How did the Serenity Prayer help you in your own recovery?<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\">Bridges of Hope understands your individual struggles and journeys. If you want to get on the path of recovery and turn away from your life of addiction for good, contact our confidential hotline: 09175098826.<\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Serenity Prayer is perhaps one of the most popular prayer or recitation piece for those who are struggling with&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/bridgesofhope.com.ph\/index.php\/serenity-prayer-bridges-of-hope\/\">[&hellip;]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1487,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[6,9],"tags":[28,169,24,7,30,31,8,25,13,14,15,16,214,73],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/bridgesofhope.com.ph\/wp-content\/uploads\/serenity-prayer-bridges-of-hope.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bridgesofhope.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1485"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bridgesofhope.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bridgesofhope.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bridgesofhope.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bridgesofhope.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1485"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/bridgesofhope.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1485\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1492,"href":"https:\/\/bridgesofhope.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1485\/revisions\/1492"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bridgesofhope.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1487"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bridgesofhope.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bridgesofhope.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1485"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bridgesofhope.com.ph\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}