The prayer
Jesus, sometimes I wonder what would happen if I stopped being the person everyone turns to.
Would anyone notice I was struggling too? Would anyone ask how I am and wait for the real answer?
I don't ask to blame anyone, Lord. Sometimes, even surrounded by people, I feel forgotten.
I've spent so long listening, helping and making room for everyone else's feelings that I've almost forgotten to make room for my own.
When someone asks how I am, I say, "I'm fine." Not because it's true, but because I don't know how to explain what I'm carrying.
Jesus, I bring You the part of me that needs comfort, that wishes someone would notice, that is tired of pretending it needs nothing.
Teach me that needing love isn't selfish. Asking for help doesn't make me a burden.
I don't have to earn care by caring for everyone else first. Give me courage to be honest with people I trust.
Let them see the real me, not just the one who seems to have everything together.
When kindness comes, help me receive it without guilt. Help me stop pushing away the care I've been hoping for.
Thank You for listening when I struggle to find words. Thank You that I don't have to make my pain sound smaller to bring it to You.
Today, I give myself permission to be human, to need, to rest, to receive.
And to believe that my heart matters too. Amen.
A verse to hold on to
“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
1 Peter 5:7 (KJV)