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.
Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as the pathway to peace.
Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it.
Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His will.
That I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with Him forever in the next.
Amen.
– Reinhold Neibuhr
Hi Joseph
I’m a christian but have made some choices in my life that has brought up the question what is “reasonably happy” like it says in the serenity prayer.I know that this comes out of left feild. I guess I’m just looking for some insight on what reasonably happy means for other people so I can look at my life from different view points.
Tom
Hi Tom,
I think “Reasonably happy in this life” represents the height of happiness that this world can provide while still being broken, and recognizing that it pales in comparison to supreme joy in the next life. For me, “reasonably happy in this life”, isn’t settling to muddle through circumstances and settle until I die, it’s enjoying every moment we have, but understanding that this cannot compare to the ultimate joy of being with Christ. This prayer is a reminder that we choose to accept our circumstances, realizing that this world is broken, but there is a better world ahead of us.
That’s what it means to me anyway. Thanks for the comment. What about you? What do you think “reasonably happy” means?