A prayer for resting in today
by Justin McRoberts Right Here, Right Now
One of the trickiest parts of seasons changing can be letting the season I am in be enough for me. I am often tempted to use the time I am in to prepare for what comes next. And while some of that can be appropriate, it can also mean I never settle into the life I’m living as I live it. Said differently, it can mean I don’t receive the gift I’ve been given by the One who gave me today. Matthew, in the sixth chapter of his Gospel,
records Jesus warning His disciples about being too “future focused,” saying, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trou- ble of its own.” But the training we’ve received by our culture
has carved deep grooves in our hearts and psy- chologies. And so, instead of simply suggesting to you that you and I become more focused on the season we are in, I’d like to offer this prayer for us to return to on days when being “right here, right now” feels less possible.
Teach me to listen. Tune my soul like an instrument. I want to resonate with Your Song so that, when I offer myself in work to the world You’ve given me to, I can hear you saying, “You are mine. I love you. I’m proud of you.”
Teach me to listen. Slow my mind like a deep breath. I want to settle into Your rhythm so that, when I cease from work and rest from my labors, I can hear You say, “You are mine. I love you. I’m proud of you.”
Keep me from the lie that I am what I do and that only when I achieve my goals am I whole.
Keep me from the lie that I am corrupted by my labors and that only in stillness am I whole.
Teach me to listen; to hear and believe that I am Yours, That I am beloved, in both work and rest.
May the work of my life be a way to share in Your perfect love for Your world.
May my rest be a way to discover and remember Your love perfect for me, Your beloved.
Amen.
Justin McRoberts is an author, retreat leader and songwriter living in the San Francisco Bay area with his wife and two children.
September/October 2024
www.ccca.org 49
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