“God give us the grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed; Courage to change the things that should be changed; And the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.”
Reinhold Niebuhr (Original Serenity Prayer)

Let’s look at this prayer, the original from which the shorter version used by most Anonymous groups was adapted. Let’s start from the end and work back to the beginning.

In this prayer we ask for three things:

1. First we need WISDOM of discernment as we look at our struggle with clutter. What actions should we take? What should we accept as a part of the situation which will not change, at least for now?

2. Perhaps most of all we need COURAGE to change the things in our life that bog us down. Sometimes that means changing ourselves. Concentrate on those things that we can alter.

3. Finally we need GRACE or SERENITY to accept things that are out of our control. Don’t waste time and energy on these.