A Sample Prayer for the Overly Blessed

Dear Lord:

Thank you for the reminder today, as I looked down with annoyance at my rain-spotted suede sandals, of which I own seven pair, in assorted colors, that I should be grateful that I have any shoes….

It seems lately that the world is unraveling at the seams, and that everywhere I look, there is fire, flood, famine, war, wind, quakes and danger and pain. My little corner of the world feels blissfully calm, and I can’t help but wonder what You may have in store for us, and when. Thank you for the respite. Please grant me the awareness to continue to acknowledge my blessings, the presence of mind to be ready for change, and the fortitude to step up when I am needed.

It is uncomfortable to watch the news, but please give me the strength to watch anyway. It helps to remind me that my reality is not the global reality, and that my little slice of existence is not the norm. When I get overwhelmed with the enormity of the planet and the problems of humanity, please remind me that there is more good in the world than there is bad, and help me look for the good, and glorify it. Help me to spread sunshine and warmth and hope, not make my own rain clouds that dump on others.

Please help me to be patient and kind toward others. I was not patient today, and I had to stop and remind myself that everywhere around the world, strangers are helping strangers, and you never know who is going to show up in a tiny boat and save you from the roof of your flooded home.

Please remind me, when I think I am too tired after my day to cook a meal, that I have a pantry, there is food in it, that I have power and pots and clean running water, and that anything I can scrap together would be a meal for which ninety-nine percent of the planet would be beyond grateful to receive.

Thank you for reminding me that no matter how many trivialities I encounter in a day, nothing can compare to the magnitude of suffering going on around the world. I am not standing in the dark, praying with every fiber of my being, that rescuers will move one more piece of rubble, and that my child will be found, alive. I am not looking in my rear-view mirror as I speed away, watching my home, my belongings, my dreams, go up in flames. I am not crawling out from a sheltered place to find that my home has been wiped from the map.

Please hear my prayers of support and empathy and hope for those far away, and help me put out my hand to those in need right here, for there is pain and sorrow and need next door, down the street, and across town, not just across the globe.

Help me keep the faith and remember that while some fear and blame the finger of God, it can also lift us up, deliver us, and heal us.

Glory, glory, glory to you, for all that you have created, and all that you do. Please help me to work hard, to become worthy of your blessings.

And if I think about buying an eighth pair of suede sandals, please send me a firm but gentle reminder that I do not need them. And by gentle, I mean maybe just decline my credit card, not send a bolt of lightning, which we both know is within your power. Thank you.

Amen.