As we enter into the holiday season in a year that will require us to do a lot of things differently, here is a little prayer to help us be present to what is, instead of what we wish could be.
Help me be here.
Help me notice if I need to disconnect – from devices or from unhealthy habits, or the Amazon shopping cart.
May I open my hands to what is instead of just waiting for what might be.
..life change comes when we receive life with thanks and ask for nothing to change.” – Ann Voskamp This includes changing plans, smaller holiday gatherings and busted expectations.
Thank you for the signs of life around me. Especially the messy ones.
Help me to not judge myself by the messes in my home or the hurdles I face to love my neighbors (or extended family) well. May I see them like tears, as a sign that I am alive. May I also remember that most messes, like tears, do not last forever.
Help me know when to let go and when to hold tight.
May I remember that you have called me to have a spirit of hope and love, not fear and control. May I choose the things the matter the most more often than not. And may I let go of the battle to control. Including how the Christmas tree gets decorated. Or if we have a tree at all.
Forgive me for trying to do it all alone. May I accept help even when it is imperfect.
You created me to be in community – with you and with others. May I be brave in asking for help, and may I accept it however it arrives.
Help me trust that I am loved, just as I am.
There is nothing I have to do to earn your love, and there is nothing I can do lose your love. You just love me – as I am. Help me learn to live into that love with every breathe as we wait to celebrate the night the world changed forever.
Thank you that you are you, and that you are good.
May I open my knowing and my heart to your goodness all around me -in nature, in my home, in my imagination, in the world. In the twinkle lights and in one more cup of hot chocolate. May I soak it up and pass it on.
Amen.
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