This week is one for prayer, my friend. The struggles are real, the challenges of being half in/half out of a pandemic are nerve plucking at best, and people are just hanging on by a thread as they deal with all of the rocks in their pack.

So please join me this day in prayer for friends.

For my friend whose mother is trying to wrap her mind around a big medical diagnosis, please give her strength. Give her strength to provide her mom with what she needs without sacrificing her own self-care. Help her God, to not forget herself while she runs errands, cooks, cleans, attends appointments, and googles the heck out of symptoms and treatments. Be with her when she is weeping, Lord. Whisper in her ear that she needs to go for a run and that it is okay to go to bed early and not answer work emails until the next day. Tend to her God, while she tends to her mom.

For my friend who is caring for a child with particular needs, help her to find space in her day to rest. Remind her that she is no good for her child unless she takes care of herself too. Help her to have hope again, to see the light you shine down upon her, Lord. She can only make out the cloud drifting above her head and it’s blocking the rays of sunshine you are desperate for her to feel. Lord, catch her attention during her morning walks and rise up in her soul during that quiet time with a loud shout of “pay attention to me!” so she can turn to you and watch the dark cloud start to break apart. Help her to keep walking.

For my friend whose mother is dying, give her fortitude. She needs the fortitude to navigate the roller coaster she is on right now. She needs to know that it will be okay, Lord. She needs you to keep reminding her that her mom will be in your loving arms, healthy and free of pain, and that passing is a part of life, not death. She needs to know that while she mourns you will be holding her in the same arms that hold her mother. Sit with her Lord while she eats too much chocolate and watches too much tv, her heart, and soul trying to process what is happening with each passing episode. Make sure she doesn’t forget that she is not alone and that her people have been sent by you to carry her forward.

For my friend who is trying to find the money to pursue her dreams, give her patience. Show her the way, through careful and thoughtful decision making. Let her listen for your voice to guide her. Don’t let her fall for the easy way that looks too good to be true (that choice is nothing but trouble, but I don’t need to tell you that). Remind her to take her time, to sit with her options, and to trust that the best path will reveal itself in due time. Sit up at night with her God, as she tosses around the maybes and what-ifs and perhaps even convince her to rest while you carry the load for her.

For my friend who struggles with feeling worthy, give her the understanding that she is worthy simply because she is. You’ve got to get this through to her because she’s really feeling low. Please tell her that she doesn’t need to do anything special or be in a particular profession, or any profession for that matter, to be worthy of love and respect. When she is faced with conversations and asked what she is “doing” with her life, help her to straighten up her back and say as much or as little as she wants. Help her to find the words that bring her true peace no matter what unfounded, uninformed, misplaced judgment comes her way.

For us all, please remind us each and every day that you are here. Remind us, when we are in despair,

that you are not the cause of what is wrong but the solution to make it right. Remind us to take heart because our hope is in you.

Be strong and take heart, friends.

blessings,

Jen