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A reflection and prayer to start the day with the Rev Lynne Gibson.

PRAYER FOR THE DAY 4TH OCTOBER 2021

Good morning.
The past eighteen months have meant that for at least some of us: lockdowns, shielding and self-isolation have turned our homes into places of sanctuary and comfort and peace.
We have all become, to some degree, more domesticated. Our gardens are in a better state than they had ever come to expect, vegetables were grown, and BBQs and outdoor dining have stretched long into the season. We became slow cooker experts, bakers, crafters, knitters – and our homes became havens, ‘nests’ lined for the harder times.
‘Nests’ suggest safety, and privacy and comfort. There are visitors whom you would never allow to step over your welcome mat. We strive to keep the good in and the undesirable out of our homes – but what of the havens of our minds?
A quotation puts it like this: ‘‘Worries and tensions are like birds; we cannot stop them from flying near us but we can certainly stop them from making a nest in our mind’.
Worriers, it seems, simply can’t help worrying – it’s how they are wired. In a year of anxiety and stress, we’ve all become worriers - and ‘we cannot stop worries from flying near us.
But we can stop worry from intruding into the nest, the sanctuary of our minds. We haven’t just become more domesticated nowadays; we have become more ‘mindful’ –aware of where we are and how we are feeling.
Worries and tensions don’t have to build a nest in our minds. We can observe them objectively and leave them outside the door, as unwelcome and uninvited guests. We can trust in the care and provision of God, and simply take each day as it arrives, with its challenges and blessings.
God our protector, may we learn to leave our worries in your hands and to trust in your eternal provision, Amen