Let Me See You

THINK

The only blind person at Christmastime is he who has not Christmas in his heart.

--Helen Keller

PRAY

Sweet Jesus, I am so blind to the blessings! I see the messes, my perceived failures, all the things I've done, only to have them undone before anyone notices my forward progress. I'm blind. I'm blind to Your goodness and I'm clenched up so tightly that I'm missing the showers of grace. Open me! Open my eyes to the Christmas unfolding before my eyes--the miracle of God in the midst of the mess. Open my hands to Your hands in mine. Let me see you!

ACT

Last week, on a whim, Mary Beth and I went through all sorts of pictures, specifically looking for evidence of the messes. We found some! (And then we set them to music.)The exercise was really, really good for me. To sift through those pictures and to see the memories from the safe distance of time was to see them with fresh (and more relaxed) eyes. Grant yourself the grace today to see the beautiful in your messes. Take a mental snapshot and share it with Jesus. Be sure to thank Him for the beautiful mess--and mean it.

~*~*~*~

Motherhood can feel like the loneliest vocation in the world. Surrounded by children, who frequently bring us to our knees, both literally and figuratively, we can be overwhelmed by isolation. Mothers need community. We can be community for one another. We can encourage on another and hold each other accountable. If you like these short devotions, please share the image and send another woman here. And when you're here, please take a moment to pray with another mother who is visiting. Leave a comment and when you do, pray for the woman whose comment is just above yours. Just a moment--blessed--will begin to build community.

I like to pray when I run in the morning. Often, I listen to Divine Office and pray Morning Prayer or the Office of Readings. Then, I just take up a conversation with God. I'd love to pray for you! Please leave your prayer requests below and we can pray for each other, no matter how we spend our morning prayer time. Meet me back here tomorrow and I'll share the ponderings from my #morningrun.