Emptying The Storehouse Every Morning

Some days, it's just hard to get out of bed.  

Granted, the older I get, the more difficult it is to get my limbs to cooperate when I first rise.  Everything pops and cracks like the floor of an old house when you walk on it.  

But it's more than just the discomfort of joints and aching muscles that makes me want to stay in bed some days---it's a sense of dread or of feeling overwhelmed by the day ahead.  

Sometimes, it's the lingering effects of whatever kept me up the night before, too. 

Over the past months, I have had more than a few nights when my thoughts were spinning, ideas forming, plans swirling, and worries abounding, and I lay awake, knowing that sleep wouldn't happen for a while.  

I think too much... I think.  

I'm not alone in this. I'm certain that more than a few of you are reading this Devo today who resonate entirely with what I'm saying.  

I read a beautiful prayer the other day by Kate Bowler (who is becoming a go-to source of inspiration for me), and I thought I would share it: 

Bless me, God, crowded out
by all that I've endured. 
Unburden me, packed so tightly 
In the memories of those 
who loved me best
(and worst, if I'm being honest). 
Relieve me of every fresh wave of guilt
of all I've already forgotten.  

Bless me with enough forgetfulness
to notice the way the sun 
is demanding another day 
and you can mind the storehouse
of all I've loved
while there is still time to gather more. 

There's so much going on in this prayer, and it absolutely speaks to me, and I hope it does to you as well. 

The prayer acknowledges something incredibly vulnerable about the person who is praying: They are filled to the brim with memories and thoughts that keep them from being able to take in one more thing.  

They have been relitigating the past, thinking about all of the ways they have failed before, which spell some kind of doom for them in the future.  

But then there's a shift as the prayer begins to remind the pray-er that God can "mind the storehouse" if they want to let go of their fullness and become empty again to receive whatever the day has to bring. 

And then the last line... "while there is still time to gather more..." 

I love this because it speaks to the brevity of life and how precious each day we are given truly is.  This kind of reminder can get us out of bed each day and give us the strength to empty ourselves of everything that keeps us feeling "packed so tightly." 

If you have yet to say a prayer this morning, try praying the one I've shared or your own version of it.  What matters is not what you say but what you mean when you say it.  

There's a day stretching before you with much to offer if you embrace the gifts it brings. May you find the emptiness that comes from trusting God with your stuff.  May you discover peace as you let yourself be filled with goodness, grace, and love. 

And may the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you now and always. Amen.