Last month we started on a new journey to explore the prayers associated the AA/NA program – starting with the serenity prayer.

The Serenity Prayer, attributed to theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, which, after the Lord’s Prayer, is perhaps the most widely used prayer in AA and NA. Why is this prayer so deeply meaningful to those in recovery? Last month we examined the first stanza, so this month we will break down the second.

Let’s begin with a reminder of the Serenity Prayer’s its opening lines:

"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."

The second stanza that we will break down is as follows:

"Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time;

Accepting hardships as a 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;

So that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with

Him forever in the next."

For HUM clients and all those working to stay clean and sober, we first learn to live in the present simply to maintain our sobriety—and it works. As this practice becomes part of our daily thinking, we discover that living life in 24-hour segments is an effective and satisfying way to navigate many other challenges as well. By focusing on today rather than becoming overwhelmed by yesterday's regrets or tomorrow's worries, we find greater peace.

Acceptance is also essential to achieving inner peace. By accepting what cannot be changed, we ease the frustration, resentment, and anxiety that often accompany resistance to reality. Acceptance is not giving up; rather, it is acknowledging life as it is and allowing God to guide us toward growth and healing.

Trust is the cornerstone of sustained sobriety. Trust means believing that God can bring good even from difficult circumstances when we surrender our will to His. It does not mean that life will be easy or that everything will happen according to our plans. Rather, it means having confidence that God's love, wisdom, and purpose are greater than our own understanding.

In simple terms, trust in the Serenity Prayer is the faith that God is in control, even when we are not. It is the quiet confidence that allows us to accept, act, and discern with peace rather than fear.

As we lift our daily prayers—for our loved ones, for the men and women at HUM, and for all those on our prayer list—may we trust that God is in control. May He grant us the quiet confidence to accept what we cannot change, the courage to change what we can, and the wisdom to discern the difference, so that we may walk each day in peace rather than fear.

Trusting God One Day at a Time