I am thankful that I am not facing a Holiday with a broken heart, shattered dreams and a marriage of a lifetime ended.
Pray for them.
I am thankful I am not in an abusive relationship, where I live in fear for my life and my children’s lives.
Pray for them.
I am thankful that I live in a home filled with gifts to open and the luxury of heat and food and goods without fear of losing them.
Pray for them.
I am thankful that I am not suffering the loss of my child, agonizing over memories and moments that are gone forever.
Pray for them.
I am thankful that I don’t suffer from any disability, disease or face a horrific diagnosis. I am grateful that no one I love is ill during this time.
Pray for them.
I am thankful that I am not alone during this beautiful season where hearts should be full and voices heard.
Pray for them.
I am thankful that I am not agonizing with an empty womb, facing the unbearable heartbreak of never having children.
Pray for them.
I am thankful that I have family members that bring me joy, who love and respect me.
Pray for them.
I am thankful I am not bound by an addiction that leaves me utterly desperate and captive in a prison all my own.
Pray for them.
I am thankful that I don’t want to surrender my life because I have given up hope… twisting my emotions as they suffocate me into the abyss of darkness.
Pray for them.
I am thankful that I have deep and abiding faith, and I don’t feel lost and confused and without hope.
Pray for them.
With a heavy heart I ask you to pause…. And pray.
There are far too many broken hearts and weary souls to count. They tightly wrap around my thoughts and guide my prayers often. Each time I am still and quiet, they flood into my mind and penetrate my heart with a pain that doesn’t release…
Divorce.
Abuse.
Poverty.
Loss.
Illness.
Loneliness.
Infertility.
Family discord.
Addiction.
Depression.
Hopelessness.
So I ask you to join me.
Pause and pray for them, would you?
In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritūs Sancti. Amen.
Falls to knees… bows head…
Thank you, faithful one. XO
I pause and pray for all these people to find peace. God Bless!
Thank you so much, sweet friend!!! XO
I am so many on this list.
I might even BE this list.
All the sad ones, at any rate.
Thank you for this.
Oh bless your weary, worn and wounded heart!!!
You are not alone in this… many suffer from multiple issues that bring pain. I am SO so sorry you have to endure so much!! I will be praying there is some relief or renewal that comes for you this Holiday. Praying for strength and endurance when you are on your last leg and want to give up. I will mostly be praying that some new light enters into your darkness…unexpected and beautiful.
That’s what I will pray for you. XO
Good friends are suffering through this weekend and I am heartbroken for them… prayer is all there is left…as is often the case even before the loss…
Oh gosh Zoe, I am so sorry to hear that. SO often, prayer is all there is left. I pray for God to comfort them in their grief… and for them to feel His Presence in their pain.
Praying with you.
Amen.
Thank you so much, Tracie. God bless YOU! XO
Beautiful and perfect <3
Oh thank you SO much Kim. 🙂
Amen sister…prayers lifted. Beautifully written!
Thanks sis. SO many hurting… breaks my heart. Praying often for them all. XO
I am with you on every single one of those things..many prayers to those suffering this holiday season.
Beautiful.
I knew you would be, Tamara. Thank you for your precious heart and your sweet prayers. 🙂
Such a power post. I will.
And I will re-post it within my network.
Much love and blessings for holding others who suffer in your prayers at this time of the year!
Warm regards
Zenith Thinking Blog
Oh thank you so much for stopping by to read this and join me! I am so grateful for your kind words and your sharing this piece. It has been so heavy on my heart- so many in my thoughts and prayers… I am glad you appreciate it. 🙂
I’m pretty sure I’ve said this before, but I’m thankful for your beautiful words, Chris. For your gentle reminders to stop and be grateful for the abundance we enjoy. Praying with you.
I’m pretty sure I’ve said THIS before (!!!!)- every single word of encouragement you give, lights me up and warms my heart. I appreciate you SO much, Jen. SO so much. XO
Thank you for joining me, dear friend.
So many of my countrymen will be meet Christmas without homes and without some of their loved ones even. Typhoon Haiyan was a bigger disaster than it actually was because it happened before the Holidays. 🙁
Praying for all who are suffering.
Oh Jhanis, I am so sorry! I am glad you shared this with me…will be praying for those precious souls!! Thank you for coming by. XO
Done. Amen. Thank you for the reminder to look outside myself and my own home. I needed this moment today.
Best wishes for a wonderful holiday for you and your family.
You are one that has such a heart for others, I am sure you look outside yourself often my friend! I am SO glad you came by to join me for this. Have a beautiful Holiday. Praying for YOU as well. XO
I agree – the holidays can be rough for so many people for so many different reasons!!
Praying for all that fall into any category of this list – people I know and many more who I will never know.
Exactly Kim! There are so many people I know who are hurting, and suffering great hardships this season… and SO many countless people I don’t know. Thank you for joining me in this prayer, my friend. XO
Oh my goodness, Chris. There is so much I want to say but it’s like my heart can’t find the right words. It’s like I can only “feel” my response. This is just so perfectly aligned with how Christ would have us pray. Thank you so much.
Oh Stephanie, what a HUGE blessing your words are to me!! It confirms it came from Christ- which makes it so powerful and so purposeful in His Name. Thank you sweet friend, for allowing your heart to be opened and touched by this prayer.
We had 103 families come through the Food Pantry today. How wonderful that I could be there to serve them and come home to read your post, Chrissy! I am among the lucky ones with home and food. I am lonely, though, and talk to God often, or maybe He talks to me more often!
I am excited I have a wonderful puzzle of beautiful butterflies to keep me busy in January. And, February, to see MY butterfly again!!!!!
AW mom, that is so beautiful!! I love that you take so much time to serve those in need… and I love LOVE that you like your puzzle!! 🙂
I think about you more than you know, and I can’t wait to have you here for TWO weeks!! I love you. May you be surrounded by dear friends during Christmas.
Wish you were here.
I join you in your Christmas prayer. We are fortunate to have a warm home and loving family. So many have so much less than we do. What a beautiful reminder of our need to pray.
Thank you Mary! I am SO glad we have connected! Here’s to a new year filled with our new friendship. Have a beautiful Blessed Christmas! 🙂
So beautiful. It made my heart so full of gratitude my eyes filled with tears. I do, I will, I continue to pray for them. Thank you for this important, gorgeous post. xoxo
Thanks so much Beth… I am SO glad you are filled with gratitude and will join me in praying for those who are suffering so much. We know many, don’t we? And there are countless we don’t even know. We are blessed.
Beautiful. Praying. For them, and for all of us, with thankfuls big, and small…
Thanks for joining me Kristi… there is so much suffering, it’s hard to wrap my heart and my mind around it. And since I can’t, I just keep giving it all to Him. It’s the only way I can find Hope and strength for those who are going through such great hardships, ya know?
I was stunned into mental silence by this post. The world went quiet for the moments it took to read it because it was all that mattered. Thank you for the beautiful words and I will pray.
Oh Sandy, I am just so glad you were able to go “there” with me. Thank you. Thank you for your heart, and your precious prayers.
So beautiful Chris! A wonderful reminder of all we have to be grateful for! Praying as well.
It’s so easy to dive into the madness and magic of the season and get lost in our goodness, when others are hurting. I can’t stop thinking of people I love and even people I just hear about, everywhere- suffering great hardships. My heart is heavy and my prayers are lifted up to them. Thanks for joining me in this Michelle! I do hope you YOU have a beautiful Holiday, my friend!! XO
I have been praying all month for so many friends who are having a difficult time this holiday. We know so many people who have had major illness and lost so much this year. Thank you for writing it all down to remind us all to keep praying.
You and me both Christine… SO many people suffering through some serious hardships. It breaks my heart- and I am constantly thinking of them and praying for them too. I love that you ‘get this’. 🙂 Have a beautiful Christmas, my friend!
I will indeed pray Chris, and thank you for remembering all those having a difficult time! 🙂
Thanks Alexa!! I pray for you and your precious family as well, my friend. Have a blessed Christmas… 🙂
Heavy hearts, heavy minds… I’m praying… SSSF!!!XOXO.
I know you are SSSF! There are so many wounded souls out there… yes, heavy hearts and heavy minds. Sigh…
You are so right–there are many who are not as fortunate as we are. I’m grateful for everything on your list. You are wise.
Oh Linda, I am so glad you join me in gratitude for all that we have. There are so many who are less fortunate than us… I constantly think of them and pray for them. I’m so glad you stopped by!!
I join you in your prayer for each item on this wonderful list. Have a merry, merry Xmas and thanks for linking up with us!
Thank you for stopping by and joining me in this prayer, MIchelle. I am so grateful.
You have a beautiful Christmas!
Beautiful Chris. A perfect reminder of our good fortune and thinking of those who are not feeling as fortunate this year.-Ashley
Thanks my friend… it’s with a heavy heart that I wrote this. Too many friends going through so much, it’s hard NOT to be thinking of them, and praying for them.
I hope YOU have a beautiful and blessed Christmas Ashley!!!! XOXO Hugs to Lisa too!!!!
Once again such a beautiful post!
Thank you for the reminder of all there is to be thankful for this time of year, and the fact that there are so many who are not as fortunate.
Yes- SO much to be grateful for this Holiday, and so many people to be praying for as well. YOU have a beautiful and BLESSED Christmas, my friend!!! Enjoy those precious kiddos!!! 🙂
Thank you for your beautiful thoughts and your prayers as I am one of those who has had and is having many of the things you listed. But I also know that I don’t have to look too far to find someone who is hurting more. I launched my memoir this year to give hope to those who feel hopeless and have been so blessed by so many of their stories.
Carol, I am so glad you stopped by to take in this prayer- for not only those that are suffering more than you, but I pray this prayer for YOU as well. Thank you for reaching out to those through your memoir and touching lives through all you have endured. God bless YOU.
Thank you. I will be honored to have you follow my blog as I am following yours as well.
Merry Christmas
Beautiful as always Chris! A reminder I needed today – as we are all “quarantined” in our house with the flu and lamenting the Christmas Eve Services and family gatherings we will most likely miss. BUT, we have money for medicine, a warm home for shelter, gifts under the tree, and each other. So many people are suffering so much more. Thanks for the reminder to count my blessings (even with the flu) and to pray for those who are struggling with so much more.
Oh bless your heart Lisa!! I am SO sorry you have to be battling the flu in your house!! I have had many a Christmases home sick with the family- everything cancelled and it’s awful! I pray you all survive and somehow make the best of things over in your home, my friend. I pray the healing comes fast!!!
Hang in there… and yes, you still have so much to be grateful for- this is true! Good for YOU for acknowledging that even when you are suffering…
Thank you for these beautiful words. Very good reminder of how blessed I am in my life. Christmas blessings to you and your family! xo
You and your precious family have a beautiful Christmas as well, my friend! Thank you for coming by and taking ‘it all’ in… XO
As I pray for all of these suffering this season, I will remind myself how blessed I am, for so many reasons, one of them being, to be able to call you a friend. xo
It’s amazing isn’t it? I am so FREAKING blessed by you- us- our friendship. My heart just swells and I can’t stop smiling and the tears blurry my eyes while I write this.
One of the greatest blessings I cherish… YOU, my friend. YOU.
I love how you are always thinking of someone else. Your serving heart challenges me. Praying right now
OH sweet WPB, you are always filling me with encouragement- and I am so grateful for that. Especially when I need it most… you shine a fresh light into my heart.
I love you for that. YOU have a serving heart, always. Truly. XOXO
I like the way that you acknowledged all of the reasons why some people may not be celebrating this holiday season.
I am sure I missed out on many, but I did try to encapsulate those that were on my heart…
Thanks so much for stopping by. I am grateful. 🙂
I love your heart!!!!!
And I YOURS, my sweet friend. Oh how I love yours!!! XOXOXO (Thank you SO much for commenting!!!)