A Concord Pastor Comments: Monday Morning Offering: 9/28

Morning Coffee by George Mendoza

Good morning, good God!

Sometimes, Lord,
when I look to the day ahead of me
I wonder and worry
how I'm going to make my way to its end...

Sometimes I look at the week or the month ahead
and wonder how I'll get from here to there,
to the other side of what seems immovable,
impassable, impossible...

But day after day, week after week
I get there, Lord,
no matter how slowly the day, the week, the month
-even the hour-
may pass:
with your help, Lord, I get there...

And looking back on the path I've walked,
so often the journey seems shorter, simpler, safer
than what I imagined at its beginning...

Help me remember, Lord, at this day's start,
as I survey the week and month before me,
help me remember
- when even the next hour seems too much to bear -
help me remember that my passage will be safe,
my burdens lighter
and the length of my day halved
because you're in my heart and by my side...

I offer you, Lord, this day, this week
and every hour in it...

I offer you the hours that seem as long as days,
the days that seem like weeks
and the weeks that have no end...

Help me trust that in your company
I'll come to this day's end, to Sunday's rest,
and to seasons' change
safe and secure in your company
and in your strength when mine is spent...

I offer you my memories of hours, days and weeks,
of months and years I thought I'd not survive - but did -
and I pray you refresh in my soul with courage
to live my life a day at a time, an hour at a time,
secure in your strong arms...

Keep me mindful, Lord,
of others who also stand before this day
unsure of where it leads:
keep us gentle with one another,
offering support where it's needed
and accepting others' help
when it is offered...

I offer you this day, Lord,
as long or short as it may seem
and trust that this day's end
will find me by your side
and you by mine...

Amen.