O Lord,
in the turbulence
and the loneliness
of my living from day to day
and night to night,
keep me in touch with my roots,
so I will remember where I came from and with whom;
keep me in touch with my feelings,
so I will be more aware of who I really am and what it costs;
keep me in touch with my mind
so I will know who I am not and what that means;
and keep me in touch with my dreams,
so I will grow toward where I want to go and for whom.
O, Lord,
deliver me from the arrogance of assuming
I know enough to judge others;
deliver me from the timidity of presuming
I don't know enough to help others;
deliver me from the illusion of claiming I have changed enough
when I have only risked little,
that, so liberated, I will make some the days to come different.
O, Lord,
I ask not to be delivered
from the tensions that wind me tight,
but I do ask for a sense of direction in which to move once wound,
a sense of humor about my disappointments,
a sense of respect for the elegant puzzlement of being human,
and a sense of gladness for your kingdom
which comes in spite of my fretful pulling and tugging.
O, Lord,
nurture in me the song of a lover,
the vision of a poet,
the questions of a child,
the boldness of a prophet,
the courage of a disciple.
O, Lord,
it is said you created people
because you love stories.
Be with me as I live out my story.
by Ted Loder
