麻豆社

Good morning.

I鈥檓 so grateful that there鈥檚 space on the radio for prayer. One of the best habits my parents gave to me was pausing at the end of each day to give thanks, to reflect or just to be still.

I鈥檝e always tried to keep space for daily prayer ever since - sometimes more successfully than others.

Recently, I鈥檝e become more aware of the power of being prayed for - being held before God, or simply present in other鈥檚 thoughts and intentions. It鈥檚 hard to explain, but I鈥檝e felt supported. I鈥檝e found reserves of courage I didn鈥檛 know I had. It鈥檚 not that circumstances change; often, something shifts within me instead.

And prayer, or mindful care, is shared. Across the world, people pause every day holding others in hope, compassion, or concern - a kind of unseen relay. Sometimes we鈥檙e the ones running strongly, able to help carry others. At other times, we鈥檙e tired and grateful when someone else takes the weight. I love the image from an old hymn: 鈥淭he day Thou gavest鈥� which recalls how as the day ends in one place, care and attention begin in another. Kindness doesn鈥檛 sleep. We鈥檙e upheld by something larger than our own energy.

So we trust that, held in care - by one another, and perhaps by God - we may find ourselves capable of more than we expected, not by effort alone, but through grace.

Faithful God, thank you for the care that carries us when we鈥檙e weary, and the strength we find through others. Help us to receive kindness and to offer it generously, so that we may be part of the good that holds the world together. Amen.