Sent by Barb Campbell in MS: This is from a tried and true devotional by June Masters Bacher -- The Quiet Heart: Daily Devotional for Women (©1988)
Dear Lord, we praise You for the beauty and glory of Christmas. We praise You for the loveliness of the world around us -- and for another New Year, a chance to try again. You see, we want to continue to give good gifts as the year progresses: to our enemies, we would offer tolerance; to our friends, our service and loyalty; to our children (whether we be mothers, grandmothers, teachers, or neighbors), our patience and a fine example; to our parents, deference and the kind of conduct that will make them proud of their daughters; to ourselves, confidence and respect; to our mates, our love renewed; and to You, our hearts!
But, Lord, we are tired. There is so much to do. Already Christmas seems by a memory (except for the tinsel on the carpet, the dropping Christmas tree, and the leftovers to be wrestled with). And spring seems but a dream. We need Your help, Lord, as we try to navigate through the snowdrifts we yet must climb. You have blessed an old world with a New Year. Now we need hope for old situations and new courage to face them. Give us, we pray, new boots for our weary feet.
Open our eyes to small things. No matter how good our vision, let our hearts probe deeper. Unstop our ears that we may hear the sounds of Your voice in nature. Strengthen our legs as we search out small corners in which we may serve others. Sharpen our intellects and our awareness. let us ponder the wonderment of our existence, building bridges to the unforeseeable future of this year, leaving a daily heritage for those who come behind us.
Pick us up, Lord, when we falter. Give us the faith and the strength to begin each day anew in service of our families, our friends, the "outsiders," and You. Let us so live that when this year is finished we may say -- as we say at life's end -- "It is good to have been a woman!"
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