Friday Prayer, September 18, 2015

Abba God,

How blessed we are to have your love, your peace, your reassurance – you give us the comfort we need to live our hardest days.

How blessed we are, God, to have your strength, your courage, your self-control – you give us the determination we need to make tough decisions and follow through.

How blessed we are, God, to have your grace, your forgiveness, your promise of new life – you give us the mercy we need to say, ‘I’ll make different choices today’ – and then do so.

You see us, God, as we truly are – that core within each one of us that’s been there since we were babies and blossomed while we were children. It’s a core so buried beneath all of these…layers. A layer of responsibility here and layer of image there, plus the layers of expectations others place on us and the layers of self-doubt and fear.

Please help us shed the layers, God, and return to the core. Help us reclaim who we truly are – the people you’ve created us to be. May we live boldly, speak confidently, love unconditionally, forgive readily, and trust deeply. Shape our lives to match our souls.

With refreshed honesty about ourselves and our hearts, we thank you, Jesus, for loving us as we are – may we embrace our true essence and your work for us today.  In your name, Amen.