Some years ago, I was privileged to edit a book by Bishop Steven Charleston. A citizen of the Choctaw Nation and a retired Bishop of the Episcopal Church, he offers regular reflections on the spiritual life.
Recently, he offered this observation:
I wish I could do more. So much of my spiritual life is haunted by that feeling. I feel helpless against the great disasters of my age. I feel inadequate when confronted with the scope of human need. I want to help and try to help, but I always wish I could do more. That’s when I reach out to the Spirit – the power that can do infinitely more than I will ever be able to imagine. I do not have to do it all. I only have to do my part the best I can.
I wrote the prayer that appears below, with an eye to Bishop Charleston’s words of wisdom and I am grateful to him for his work:
Holy Spirit, gift to your Church and manifestation of the Kingdom’s presence, I confess that all too often I am overwhelmed. My knowledge of the world’s needs exceed my ability to respond. The news is filled with tragedy, violence, loss of life, and pain. There is so much beyond my control. In those moments that I feel overcome and I am adrift in grief and despair, save me from the temptation to measure my gifts against the world’s needs. Deliver me from the cynicism that might lead me to live for myself. Help me to trust your prompting and your presence. Strengthen my witness and remind me – always – that the lives of your children are depend upon you, the Son, and the Father. Together, you are one God, sovereign, wise, and sufficient. Amen.
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