Dear God, I got to thinking yesterday about the challenges a lot of my coworkers are facing right now. There is a lot going on. Some are dealing with very difficult and scary things with their children. Others are dealing with personal health issues that are daunting. One, in particular, is dealing with both plus the recent death of a sibling.

I was already thinking about how I need to really pray over our organization and office when I came across this daily reading from Gary Thomas’s compilation of various clips from his different books called Simply Sacred. It was the last paragraph that struck me after reading the moving story (above): “In fact, every child uniquely stretches us, pushes us, challenges us, and–by God’s design–thereby teaches us how to love. Thank God for difficult children!”

While it can be hard to thank you for the difficult parts of our children–mainly because it can be those difficult parts that concern us the most for our children and we want the best for them–it is easy for me to come to you and ask you to simultaneously 1.) remove the thorns from our children’s sides and 2.) use the presence of the thorns and hopefully the removal process for their good.

I’ve been thinking that I really need to spend some time in deep prayer today in a sacred place for the people in my office. I feel like the frog who has been slowly boiled without realizing it was happening. Now I look around and without my realizing it has started the whole pot is boiling and I didn’t appreciate what was going on. So I’m going to find some time today to go to a chapel and really beseech you on behalf of my coworkers. I’m also going to call on some of the board members where I work to pray. Is this a time of spiritual attack from Satan? Probably. Can it be used for your glory and to advance your kingdom coming and will being done on earth as it is in heaven? Definitely. I just need to bring it to you.

Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit, please be with the staff and volunteers of our clinic. Be with all of us. Break us, mold us, fill us, use us. We are broken. We are vessels that need your molding and your formation. Don’t let any of this pain we are experiencing as individuals or collectively to be wasted.

I pray this under your authority,

Amen