Month: December 2022

A Prayer for the Week Between Christmas Day and the New Year

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Whether you are working or taking this week off, it is a unique week as we await the new year. Some people are rushing to complete tasks before 2022 ends. Others are trying to do as little as possible to conserve energy for the new year. Wherever you find yourself in these final days of the year, know you are loved!

God of All Time, We find ourselves nearing the end of the calendar year. The new year is coming soon and yet we must remember the current year has a few more days remaining. Slow us down from rushing to the flip the calendar into a new year. Whether we are working or using up some vacation time, help us to use this time wisely…which doesn’t mean that every minute must be filled. Help us to use this time and all our time wisely by giving thanks to you for the time we have. Seeing each day as a gift is what you ask of us. For the gift of this day, we thank you. For the gift of this year, we thank you. For the gift of our lives, we thank you. Even when life isn’t going according to our plan, we thank you for walking with us and supporting us. So make us aware of your presence this week, we know you are with us and sometime just need a reminder. Thank you for this week before the new year. Amen!

Do the Hard Thing!

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I hope you will join me in this celebration and be reminded/inspired to do the hard thing. I know I will need this reminder again soon.

What is something that is hard for you to do? We all have our own thing that challenges us. Mine is asking for help. I will work and work and work because a task is mine to complete. I could ask for help, and too often, I do not. Join me in this moment of celebration. Recently at work, I asked for help. Even with trying so hard, I could not finish everything that needed to be done. So I did the thing that is so hard for me, I asked for help. And guess what? I was given help!

I wanted to share this because I know each one of us has something that is so hard for us to do. And I don’t know what yours is. I do know the peace I felt when this one time I did that hard thing. So I hope you will try it. Do that one thing that is so hard for you.

And knowing myself, it will probably be awhile before I ask for help I need again. So when that hard thing is too much for you, give yourself grace when you just can’t do it. And then try again.

God! We need some help here. We probably won’t ask for help because that it is too hard to admit we can’t do it all ourselves. Help us to do that one hard thing that is making our lives more challenging. Give us courage to just do it. And then, give us courage to do it again. And for those times we just can’t, grant us grace and peace, we pray. Amen.

December is Here!

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Happy December! Amid all the joy that many are feeling in this holiday season, be aware of those among us who are feeling a variety of emotions. This is a reminder to be kind to yourself with whatever emotions pop up around the holidays.

Just recently a friend told me her primary mood lately has been melancholy. Another friend’s Mom is nearing the end of her life and receiving care with hospice. I am aware of my own grief that my Mom won’t be physically present with us as we gather as a family this year.

And I can tell you just as many stories filled with joy and excitement for people I know who are delighted this holiday season.

We, humans, are amazingly able to experience more than one emotion at a time. You might be crying and suddenly burst into laughter. A long forgotten photograph might inspire a variety of feelings. Cooking a family recipe might bring back memories of the last time you ate this food gathered around a table filled with family. Unpacking Christmas ornaments might remind you of the loved one on whose tree they used to hang.

As we flip the calendar to a new month (yes, I still have a paper calendar), let us be kind to ourselves and each other. This month may be your favorite and someone else may just be hoping to “make it through December”. You can love the holidays. You can dread the holidays. And you can do both at the same time.

Creating God, you sure did fill us with lots of emotions. And no other month brings those emotions to the surface as fast as December. So remind us to be kind to everyone this month, especially ourselves. When our feelings bubble up to the surface, may we have courage to let them out. And when our feelings linger just below the surface, give us patience with ourselves as we await the time we are ready to share how we are feeling. In joy and sorrow, you Loving God remains our constant companion. Amen.