All weekend long I thought about this post. I wanted to find a really special prayer or scripture or quote to share that would inspire us to start our year off "just right", so I looked all over the place for one. Prayer books, the Bible, online searches...but everything I found felt too stilted or contrived for my taste. I complained to my husband about my dilemma.
Tom, in his gentle but direct way, said "Rachel, you're over-thinking this. Just pray for your readers yourself."
You gotta love that guy. He rarely misses.
So, with all humility and simplicity, here is my prayer for you today.
And if you're not particularly religious, that's okay. I hope you'll find that, although I'm not shy about my faith, I won't beat you up with it either. I know that each of us is at a different place in our life journeys and my hope is that I can simply encourage you along the path. Stay with me here, won't you?
Dear Lord,
I'm praying for my blog friends today. They've opened laptops, turned on phones, started computers, and grabbed tablets in the middle of their busy days to read this...and I know you see them right where they are. In an office cubicle, in the Starbucks line for a double shot, in the carpool line dropping kids off, in the kitchen with a pile of dishes, in WalMart buying Batman underwear for a kid, or still in bed with the covers pulled up in the hopes of a few more minutes.
You see.
You know.
And You care.
I pray that no matter what circumstance she finds herself, each woman...each of my "Company Girls"...would sense Your love in a real way.
You are Emmanuel, God with us.
You are here.
This year, we are committing to creating sanctuaries at home - for our families and for ourselves. We want these to be "sacred spaces" that feel good and, well, kind of holy when we walk through the door. We want to live uncluttered and free. We want to enjoy the blessings we've been given without wishing for more stuff. We want to make things beautiful on a budget. Maybe we'd just be happy with making it through one single day without yelling. Just being real, here, Lord.
We need peace. YOUR peace.
Your shalom.
For some, it might feel like an impossible prayer, this presence of peace and love.
But I know that nothing is too hard for You.
You specialize in Impossible.
Homes that are filled with peace, order and beauty are completely and utterly possible with You. In fact, I think You'd be delighted to help us with this.
And so I ask You to bless the work of our hands for us.
Give us courage to face the tasks that fill our days, and the grace to accept the things that are beyond our control.
Help us to give our burdens to you so that we have room for joy, for lightheartedness, for laughter.
Point us in the right direction for pillows that are on sale. (Just kidding a little bit, Lord.)
Most of all, give us hearts to love, hands to give, and eyes to see Your daily graces.
Thank you for my sweet blog friends. Thank you for this amazing way to connect through screens, phones and tablets. Your goodness is even in that.
May we find our sanctuary in You.
Amen.
I'd love to pray for you personally today. Feel free to leave a comment or send me an email (link in sidebar) to let me know how I can pray. If you've received this via email, simply hit "reply" and I'll get it.
With love,
Rachel
