"Like a welcome summer rain, humor may suddenly cleanse and cool the Earth, the air, and you."
(Langston Hughes)
Gracious God, who is not often called humorous, as we move through our days, help us to remember the difficulties we create for ourselves by trying to shape the circumstances around us, and by holding on to the illusions of control. Let us not wither in the triple-digit heat of self-importance, self-will, and self-critique. Help us to allow humor to refresh our perspectives; to see the humanness of our lives as a blessing rather than a burden; to know ourselves in a new way and to love ourselves with a new kindness. As we respond tenderly to the pressures we place on ourselves, may we release the unfairly high expectations we place on others, and rejoice in the joy of our shared, beautiful, and limited personhood within the human family. We ask this in Your name.—AMEN.
(Adapted from “Reflective Pause” in Mission Integration by Dignity Health)