Prayer Tip: To Whom Much is Given

by Jennifer Creagar, Community Assistance Coordination Director

How do we know what we really have? How do we move past basing our giving on our bank statements and tax returns and give from all of our resources-–the gifts and blessings we receive each day?

A great place to start is to begin and end each day with prayers of thanks for the gifts of that day. Prayers of gratitude open our minds and our spirits to see all the ways we are blessed and how we can share those blessings with others. It’s not just about dollars and cents. It’s about people-–the people we are closest to, and the people we don’t really know, but who we encounter in the course of our day. It’s about using all of our senses to discover blessings-–what do we see, smell, hear, touch? It’s about moments-–what small moments blessed us, or made us think, or even made us uncomfortable because they showed us an area in our life that needs work, so that we can know and experience God’s love in new ways? When did we feel close to God and experience God’s presence? When did God draw us back when we wandered away? Beginning and ending the day with prayers of gratitude will help us identify all the good gifts we can share.

God who gives us all gifts, and opens our hearts to recognize them,
Thank you for the gifts you’ve given me today.
<Spend some time recognizing and naming the gifts in your life>
Show me how I can share those gifts with your beloved in my personal life, my church, the community where I live, and all the world, according to your guidance.
Thank you for making me aware of your grace in my life, and the gifts you have given me to share.
Amen.