My New Year's Prayer

Oh My Dear God....

What a tall order this year! Every year it seems, gets a little harder and harder. I try so hard to keep on the path, to stay in your Light. But each step is so laborious. I know... you never said it would be easy, just worth it. I get so discouraged. You know that. And You also know I'm not the only one. Sometimes I feel like I'm out in the field putting up a barbed wire fence only to discover there is someone right behind me with wire cutters going... Snip! Snip! Snip!

"Plan the plans, not the results," I have been told. Perhaps my disappointment comes from the fact that I expect too much. You gave us the rules. Why do so many do so much dirt and seem to walk away lily-white, while others toil and sweat for scant little only to reap no rewards, no security? No... life isn't fair. It's not supposed to be. But that out of balance? Just seems odd to me.My language has 26 letters. I'd like to ask you for Your help in my New Year's Prayer using them as a guideline. Any help You could offer would be greatly and most heartfully appreciated.


A

Where there is arrogance, apathy and animosity,
Give us acceptance, amity and affection.


B

Where there is betrayal, bitterness and brutality,
Give us bounty, beauty and boldness.


C

Where there is cheating, coldness, and corruption,
Give us calm, caring and courage.


D

Where there is dying, dearth and dread,
Give us determination, diligence and direction.


E

Where there is envy, enslavement and embarrassment,
Give us epiphany, enthusiasm and enlightenment.


F

Where there is futility, friendlessness, and fear,
Give us faith, forgiveness, and fidelity.


G

Where there is godlessness, gossip and guile,
Give us goals, guidance and grace.


H

Where there is hatred, hostility, and hunger,
Give us humility, honesty and hope.


I

Where there is ignorance, isolation and irreverence,
Give us imagination, inspiration and instinct.


J

Where there is jealousy, judgementalism and juvenility,
Give us joy, jubilation, justice and JESUS.


K

Where there is killing, kangaroo courts and kamikazes,
Give us kindredness, keenness and keeper's knees.


L

Where there is lust, lewdness and loneliness,
Give us LOVE, Laughter and Life.


M

Where there is misunderstanding, melancholy and malice,
Give us mission, mercy and manners.


N

Where there is nothing, no one, nowhere to go,
Give us a nobleness, nature and nurturing.


O

Where there is obliqueness, obstinacy and obsession,
Give us objectivity, obedience and opportunity.


P

Where there is perversion, perjury and pride,
Give us purpose, persistence and poise.


Q

Where there are quitters, quizzes and questions,
Give us quenching, quaintness and quiet.


R

Where there is ridicule, rage, and rejection,
Give us righteousness, radiance and refuge.


S

Where there is sickness, stubbornness, and superiority,
Give us solace, serenity and security.


T

Where there is temptation, torture and tears.
Give us tolerance, teachability and thoughtfulness.


U

Where there is upheaval, undermining and usurping,
Give us understanding, unanimity and unshamefulness.


V

Where there is vanity, voraciousness and vengefulness,
Give us veracity, virtue and vision.


W

Where there is worry, wickedness and war,
Give us well-being, wonder and wisdom.


X

Where there is eXclusion, eXploitation and eXile,
Give us eXperience, eXhilaration and eXpression.


Y

Where there's yielding, yearning and yellowing of character,
Give us youthfulness, yes to others, yes to ourselves.


Z

Where there is zip, zilch and zero,
Give us zeal, zen and zest.



Well... there you go, God. Just one more prayer to add to your long list. But truthfully... can we really do this? It just seems so hard. Thank you for another year, God. I'd say it was a breeze, but You know how it was. Maybe 2009 will be a stronger, happier, and more prosperous year.

With You all things are possible. Thank you in advance for the help You provide on a daily basis. You are the source of all my strength and to whose arms I go for rest.


Your Loving Child