God,
As we open our minds and hearts to the words in this issue, help us to uncover ways we can more deeply hold all of our emotions.
Grant us grace as we learn how to live in both the sun and the shadows.
Hold our hands while we uncomfortably sit in our sadness, grief, anger, resentment, and disappointment, sifting through the broken and ugly to find the goodness you have for us here in the heavy and hard.
Lift our eyes so we may fully observe and feel the delight, laughter, pleasure, exhilaration, and bliss in the lightest moments.
Help us to simultaneously feel it all. Give us the strength to let go of the guilt and the desire to repress. Instead, fill us with the knowledge that we can hold space for it all, giving every big emotion the time and attention it needs to reconcile. Instead of hiding our hurting hearts, help us heal them.
May you fill us with the grit needed to experience this life fully and completely, honoring You and our journey on earth.
Amen.
Originally published in Gritty Faith Volume 15, written by Jessy Paulson