Directions: Pray this holiday stress prayer once a day, or as needed.
“God, You know my family. And my frenemies. You know how messed up it is. And here come the holidays, and I will have to deal with them. Again.
And You know how hard it can be for us to all get along when we get together. I’m already stressing about how do deal with THAT member. We have so much negative history, and truth be told, I would really rather not have to be in the same room with them sometimes, because I’m on edge about what might happen, what might be said.
God, help me. Help. Me. I can’t make them behave (and I’d appreciate any work You would do in that area), but I want to behave. Give me the desire and the strength to want to behave in a way that doesn’t leave me with any more regrets. I just want a peaceful gathering, for everyone’s sake.
So God, show me how to prepare my heart before I get there, so I’m ready to deflect the snide remarks, to resist the temptation to top their cutting comment, to just simply rise above it, and not allow it to steal my joy. I want to start now with a proactive thought through plan, I’ll be in a more peaceful place when we get together, and I know I can’t do that alone. I’ve tried before and I’ve failed. I want a better, different result this holiday season. So I need You big time.
So God, I can’t fix them. So God, fix me. Gently open my heart in the next few weeks to show me what I can do, and trust the rest to You.
Amen.”
Rev. Greg Griffin is a Board Certified Pastoral Counselor and Forgiveness Coach in private practice in Marietta, GA. His specialty is relationship repair and rescue- helping partners, spouses, and parents and their adolescents. He’s also the author of Dungeon Times Survival Guide, and Vital Faith.