There is a sink full of dishes
and laundry to fold,
not to mention
children to cherish and
a world on fire
with greed and selfishness,
a trillion wounded souls
who only want love …
and justice.
People everywhere starving
for a decent meal,
an opportunity to heal
wounds festering
deep inside,
a chance to live in peace,
eyes to see who they really are
and a hand
to remove the shrapnel
once and for all …
And there is a woman who is exhausted
from keeping her heart open
and reaching out beyond herself
into this relentless, aching world.
There is a person who needs rest
and permission
to take care of herself too.
It takes faith to look a suffering world in the eye
and keep standing.
It takes faith to accept our limits
and trust God
not to have any.
It’s okay to admit where you end
and your Creator begins.
It’s okay to allow Divine Hands
to hold you for a while,
until you’re ready to embrace
the wounded world again.
Psalm 23 1-4
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
He leads me beside quiet waters,
He refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for His name’s sake.”
Are you feeling a sense of “lack” in your life? Lack of peace? Lack of wholeness? Lack of clarity? Lack of focus? Do you feel stretched thin and pressured to complete a never ending lists of tasks?
When’s the last time you allowed yourself to step back and renew your spirits in prayer?
Yes, there is an aching world out there. And yes, we are the only hands and feet Christ has on earth right now. But no, we are not super people. We need to find a way to balance taking care of ourselves with serving others.
We need to nourish our bodies with healthy foods and exercise; we need to take time time to process our emotional life experiences with a journal or trusted loved one; we need to make memories with the people we love most; and we especially need to connect with the Source of our courage, inspiration, goodness, compassion and drive for strength, perseverance and clarity through prayer.
If we really believe “all good and perfect gifts come from above”, why do we tend to place prayer and meditation last on the priority list? (James 1:17)
Saint Francis De Sales said “Everyone of us needs half an hour of prayer each day …except when we are busy – then we need an hour.” Today, I encourage you to take his advice and carve out some time in prayer.
Do you struggle to find time to take care of yourself and make time for prayer? What do you think is blocking you? Comment below, and I’ll be delighted to keep you in my thoughts and prayers.
Lord give us the grace to turn to you in our time of need, so you can restore our souls to wholeness and give us the grace to serve others. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.
Written by Nicky Gant for http://www.uniteinprayer.org 9/15/2019