a blessing for those struggling with mental health

O God it is terrifying to feel threatened within — by something invisible,
changeable, yet immovable as stone.

God, come help me. I want peace but I never find it.

God have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Spirit have mercy.

“O Lord, hear me as I pray; pay attention to my groaning.” —Psalm 5:1

God have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Spirit have mercy.

“Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for You have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.” —Psalm 61:2-3

Blessed are we, overwhelmed by our own minds,
amid layers of pandemic isolation and untold loss,
Who cry out to You:
O God, You know the chemistry in body and brain,
and all the efforts that have gone before.
the beginnings that trailed away,
the self-forgetting, the pain and struggle,
the echoing clamour of rising fear,
the help that felt like judgment,
and the collateral damage.

Blessed are we who say:
God, You hear the vicious storm that rages within
the silent buffeting that tears away at the very fabric of being,
the accusations and attacks
that are more real than a glimpsed reflection in the mirror.

Blessed are we, o God, stuck, hemmed in, overwhelmed
yet who still cry out:
O God be the lifting up of my hands!
Be the strengthening of heart and intention,
the restorer of what lies broken,
the healer that has gentle new thoughts,
the welcoming eyes that speak peace
that is fulsome, lovely, and lasting.

Be, o God, the life for me that still could be!

God have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Spirit have mercy.

Come. It’s okay. Just come.
“And Jesus took the children in his arms and blessed them, laying his
hands upon them.” —Mark 10:16