"You Arrive Breakable"--A Prayer for December 14, 2020

 “You Arrive Breakable”—A Prayer for December 14, 2020

So much feels so fragile, O God,
and we are afraid of breaking.

The fear makes us anxious,
puts us on edge,
and shortens our tempers.

We are quicker than we should be to lash out.
We are slower than others need us to be to listen.
We keep up our guard and keep each other at a distance—
at least that way (we think) we can convince the world we’re strong.

But you, O God—you… are different.
You come close. 

You arrive breakable. 

You have chosen not to keep up defenses
nor to intimidate us
into good behavior,
but dressed in our own fragility,
taking the risk of a tiny beating heart,
bearing the danger of nails and thorns.

Give us the courage to be vulnerable, and to hold
this precarious world tenderly, as you do.