The Best Prayer I Ever Heard

Heavenly Father, Help us remember

that the jerk who cut us off in traffic

last night is a single mother who

worked nine hours that day and

is rushing home to cook dinner,

help with homework,

do the laundry and spend a

few precious moments

with her children.


Help us to remember that the

pierced, tattooed, disinterested

young man who can't make

change correctly is a worried

19-year-old college student,

balancing his apprehension

over final exams with his

fear of not getting his

student loans for next semester.



Remind us, Lord,

that the scary looking bum,

begging for money in the same

spot every day (who really ought

to get a job!) is a slave to addictions

that we can only imagine in our

worst nightmares.



Help us to remember that the

old couple walking annoyingly

slow through the store aisles

and blocking our shopping

progress are savoring this

moment, knowing that,

based on the biopsy report

she got back last week, this

will be the last year that they

go shopping together.


Heavenly Father,

remind us each day that,

of all the gifts you give us,

the greatest gift is love.


It is not enough to share

that love with those

we hold dear.



Open our hearts not to

just those who are

close to us,

but to all humanity.



Let us be slow to judge

and quick to forgive,

show patience,

empathy and

love.