Something is not right.
The fever that won’t break,
the lump that we never noticed before,
the appetite that’s disappeared,
the weight put on, or off,
the persistent headache,
the seizure, the flushed face,
the voice crying, “It hurts.”
Parents flocking to doctors,
holding babies, hugging toddlers,
arms around adolescents,
hanging on to the hands of teenagers….
God, hear these sixteen prayers
that I am praying for sixteen good reasons.
I’ve loved her sixteen years,
protected and nurtured her each and every day.
Sixteen birthdays she’s made wishes
on cakes baked by my hands.
Sixteen years of trying to give good advice
and about a million “Be carefuls.”
And now, at this age of sixteen
when all the world is coming up roses,
my prayer for her is “Be yourself.”
God, you know I hold my family together:
balancing the needs of everyone,
the schedules of everyone,
the health of everyone,
juggling each ball with dexterity
and not dropping one, not one.
I give thanks for strength and stamina.
But there’s a haunting sense
that I’ve reached my limits
and that even this camel’s back
will not take one straw more.
One morning will I stand on the road
Little girl, welcome to this house of worship
and to the community of faith.
Prayers have surrounded you these many months
as we waited expectantly for your safe arrival.
Little girl, you are a magnet for our love,
a compass that points to your Creator.
We are drawn to your fresh beauty,
fascinated by your personality, newly-minted….
We pray today for children in our communities
who live without either of their parents:
children whose parents have died,
children who have been abandoned,
children taken away from their parents because of abuse or neglect,
and children who have run away from home.
You care for these little ones God,
We pray today for a blessing on parents;
two parents in one home,
two parents in two homes,
single parents,
extended family caregivers,
foster parents,
and all who are in a parental role.
Give patience when love wears thin.
Give tenderness even in the face of anger.
Give clarity in the face of difficult decisions.
God who gave me children,
give me wisdom in the in-between.
Between the child and the adult,
between the clinging and the pushing away,
between the I love you and the I hate you,
between the we and the me,
between the innocence and the maturity,
between the fearfulness and the confidence,
between the needing and the not needing,
between the staying together and the going away,
I am a Mennonite pastor currently teaching theology at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ontario. I’ve served congregations in Ontario and most recently, Alberta.
I love to write and to lead worship! If you are finding my writing helpful, I would love to hear from you! Feel free to use or adapt the material here, it is all written by me. If printing material, please credit “Copyright Carol Penner www.leadinginworship.com” (and say whether you modified it). If publishing, please contact me for permission. Contact me at carol@leadinginworship.com
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