Breathing Deeply

I Need to Breathe Deeply

By Ted Loder: Guerrillas of Grace page 28

Grant me an ease

 to breathe deeply of this moment,

this light,

this miracle of now.

Beneath the din and fury 

of great movements and harsh news 

and urgent crises,

make me attentive still

to good news,

to small occasions,

and the grace of what is possible

for me to be,

to do,

to give,

to receive,

that I may miss neither 

my neighbor’s gift

nor my enemies need.

Breathing Deeply

My Guerrillas of Grace Personalized

I begin by breathing deeply.

In this miracle of now 

within the light of the falling day

 in the desert of this center for renewal, 

grant me an ease to breathe deeply of You.

Beneath the din:

of grieving prolonged, of fears recurrent,

 of patterns of fatigue, of implacable pain;

Beneath the fury:

Of relationships strained 

and misunderstanding’s grip, 

of my own lack of authenticity 

and recognized purpose, 

of inadequacy believed 

and of triggers unchecked. 

Of urgent crises unspoken.

Make me attentive, still:

To the good news:

 You pursue me to welcome me

So that I might bring small occasions 

and every other,

 boldly to Your throne of Grace.

The grace of what is possible:

For me to be, 

when I am in Your presence,

For me to do,

when Your presence refocuses my eyes 

and realigns my heart with Your intentions.

For me to give,

back to You in gratitude 

realized and released.

For me to receive,

Your power to become 

the person of action I am called to be

 in I Peter 1:13,

So that I might not miss either 

my neighbor’s gift 

nor my enemy’s need.

This is my songful prayer to You.

Anne

July 26, 2022

A Personalized Guerrillas of Grace