I’ve been helping someone with a serious problem lately, one that involves a mix of mental and physical health. It’s scary. It’s intense. It’s confusing. I’m in territory I’ve never travelled before, in a place I don’t want to visit.
I had a bit of time alone the other day, so I found a church where I could pray. My first prayer was simple: “Holy Spirit, please hold on to all the things I want to say but shouldn’t.” Sometimes it’s easier in a crisis to react than to respond.
Unfortunately, blurting out what I think often has more to do with my feelings than with what the other person needs to hear. I need help staying focused.
That prayer was quickly followed by another. “Dear Jesus, please give me the courage to say the things I’m afraid to say.”
This prayer hits at the opposite end of the spectrum: at times I’m fearful of saying difficult things or pointing out facts that might make the other person mad or upset. Yet often that’s exactly why God has put me there: to say what needs to be said.
Finally I prayed a third prayer. “Father, if it be your will, let me be the instrument through which this person draws closer to you.”
It’s in the tough times that faith, hope and charity are most visible, for the light of Christ within us shines brighter in the darkness. I dearly hope that today it shines through clearly.
