a wordless prayer to make space for joy

Sit quietly for a moment with your hands open in front of you, palms up.

In one hand, imagine placing everything heavy you’re carrying: worries, sadness, stress, fear, exhaustion, disappointment. Let that hand hold the weight of it all.

In the other hand, imagine gathering small pieces of joy: something beautiful, funny, comforting, peaceful, or good. A person you love. A memory that made you laugh. The color of the sky. A tiny reminder that life still holds beauty.

Then slowly lift both hands toward God.

You don’t need many words. The gesture itself becomes a prayer:

“Here are the hard things.”
“And here is the joy You are still giving me.”

Sometimes joy isn’t found by ignoring what hurts. Sometimes it grows when we bring both the sorrow and the beauty honestly before God.

And sometimes, making space for joy simply means noticing that even now, good gifts are still being placed into our hands.

This is mostly a repost from a post written last fall that includes a kid-friendly option for a wordless prayer activity.