Today, Lord, let us see what others may not in another's heart and let us open ourselves to being for them what they cannot be fore themselves. Help us to be sincere in our loving, seeking to understand, care for and support each other in gentle, peaceful measures that will uphold Your word and uplift our fellow travelers' spirits. Amen.

What do we do, God, when we are alone?  Do we turn away from our lives, looking for whatever it takes to fill up empty space and time?  Do we pretend that what we really want doesn't matter?  Or do we stop in our tracks, think for a moment and really consider what a difference believing in You can make for us?  Amen.   

God of Warmth and Comfort, grant us a vision for the future, past the cold winds, snow and ice that blanket so much of the earth this day.  Give us a sense that those who suffer can find hope in Your love, the love in which we live and move and have our being.  Your love can change the world if we pick it up and use it to create miracles.  Please guide us to ways that we can break apart the ice of frozen relationships, damaged souls and crushed dreams.  Help us to hear the beating heart of Your strength in ourselves, trusting that we have everything we need in You to see past what is to what can be.  Amen.  

Loving Creator, thank You for the grace embodied in this new year. What it holds is yet to be determined, but we do know that You will be with us in whatever circumstances we find ourselves. for this we are truly grateful. Thank You for the blessings in our hands, in our hearts and in the days to come. Amen.

Tough Times

Your Holy Spirit sustains us through anything and everything that can possibly be, God, and we are grateful to know this. But sometimes we feel put upon, as if You personally have sent us a life workbook in a box that we cannot maneuver very well.

We are not fond of the tough lessons, no matter how much we learn from them, mainly because it is after the fact that we seem to get Your point. We are a stubborn, arrogant people who like to have our own way. Free will not withstanding, Your way usually does make the most sense, as long as don't apply human logic to compensate for our need to control our lives and our worlds.

God, please forgive us our need to teach You the lesson. Bless us with Your patience. Love us, despite our need to tell You how to run things. Amen.

Hemming and Hawing

What are we waiting for, God?

Are we still hoping You will do everything for us because that's what we think Your job is?

Are we still thinking that we aren't accountable for anything we say, do or produce?

Are we stuck in the belief that our presence here doesn't matter or make a difference?

Are we so sure that You exist that we take it for granted that You will protect us from all harm, not bothering to manage our lives with intelligence and reason?

Are we willing to waste our lives, only to discover, too late, that we could have done and been so much more?

What are we waiting for, God? Amen.

Peace

God Who Redeems Us All, please grant us the peace which You tell us passes all understanding. Teach us this peace which we long for, not just in the war zones around the world, but in the war zones in ourselves, our families, our communities. These privately-funded wars are not fueled by government funds, but by long-held grudges, hurt feelings and offenses we cling to, despite knowing that we can choose differently. We wonder why there is so little peace in Your creation, blaming You for what we are not willing to invest in, even for a few moments a day.

Something we need to remember, God, is that war costs us dearly, and that peace also comes with a price. Teach us, implore us with Your love, to choose peace every chance we get. We can choose to be kind, even if we have not received kindness. We can choose to be helpful, even if we have not received help. We can choose to forgive, even if we have not been forgiven. We can choose to love, even if we fear the consequences.

Bless us with the remembrance today, God, that peace is a choice, each moment, each day for all of us. Amen.