A midday prayer to set down what you're carrying.
Wherever you are right now,
Let this be a small pause in the middle of your day.
You don't need to close the door or find the perfect quiet.
Just let your shoulders soften and take one slow breath in.
And let it go.
Let's pray together.
In the middle of this day,
With all its noise and all its needs,
I stop for a moment.
Not because everything is done.
But because I am more than what I get done.
I bring with me what this morning has already asked of me.
The conversations,
The small worries,
The things that didn't go the way I hoped.
I don't have to pretend they aren't here.
I simply hold them out to you,
Lord,
Open-handed,
And let them be seen.
God,
Where I have been hurried,
Give me patience.
Where I have been hard on myself,
Give me gentleness.
Where I have been hard on someone else,
Give me grace and a second chance to be kind.
Help me remember that I don't carry this day alone.
There is a steadiness in you that doesn't depend on how well things are going.
A love that was here before this morning began and will still be here long after tonight.
So I set down what isn't mine to carry.
The need to have every answer,
I set it down.
The fear of what might happen later,
I set it down.
The weight of other people's expectations.
Jesus,
I set it down.
God,
I set it down.
And in the space that's left.
Let there be room for peace.
Room to notice the light through the window.
The warmth of a cup in my hands,
The simple gift of this breath,
And this one.
As I return to the rest of my day,
Go with me.
Let me move a little slower,
Listen a little longer,
And speak a little softer.
That the people I meet this afternoon find me a little lighter than they would have,
Because I stopped here for this moment.
And whatever the hours ahead may hold,
Let me meet them with a quiet heart,
Knowing I am held.
In Jesus' name I pray,
Amen.
Take one more slow breath before you go and carry the stillness with you.
