Plenty

In Acts 6, Greek speaking widows complained about the distribution of relief given to them compared to the Hebrew speaking widows in the church. The Apostles responded by appointing men to concentrate on material service so they could remain focused on spiritual service. One of the appointed men was Stephen, who was faithful and full of gifts from the Holy Spirit. Other men, who were threatened by his obvious wisdom and authority, sought to undermine and plot against him. Below is a prayer of repentance.

Dear Lord,

Forgive me for not being joyful

Of Your blessings.

Your countless creations lavishly blossom,

Your spectrum of gifts explode in abundance,

But I hold on tight to what I have,

Keeping it hidden and out of the light.

I cling to pride and stinginess.

Your generosity is forgotten

In worries of having enough,

Of being seen as enough.

Forgive my amnesia

Of the aha moments and answered prayers,

The shelter and food,

The closeness to You.

The inheritance.

When you stand against my anxieties,

When you give me strength to meet them.

Forgive me when I’m jealous.

When my inner poverty injures

And I take what doesn’t belong to me

Though You give more than enough.

You supply me with surplus.

Forgive me for ignoring the fears of others

Who hold on tight to what they have

And injure and take

Because they’ve forgotten who You are.

Forgive me for not trusting

That You are good.

For not believing You,

For not trusting You

With this creation.

For not trusting You

With my life.

Amen.

LaCanas Y Tucker

Manhattan Church of Christ

New York, NY