A Prayer for Times of Crisis by Abby Perry

I sat in my favorite corner of our couch, knees pulled up to my chest.

A few close friends were scattered around the room, eyes soft, questions gentle.

We had been at an event together earlier that evening where words were spoken that caused

a part of my heart to fracture.

When I left the event as soon as possible, these women called and offered to come to sit

and listen or let silence linger.

We did some of both.

Mostly I rambled, at least that's how I remember it.

I remember tears and closing my eyes as I spoke sentences that embarrass me, words that

made me feel faithless and weak.

But most of all, I remember the tenderness of the woman gathered in that room, their compassionate

strength that bore the weight of my sadness and anger.

When I was in crisis, the physical presence helped and listening ear of others was critical.

Never have I been so aware of the beauty of the body of Christ as I have been when I

was dependent upon others to care for me, to support my family, and to pray and believe

for me when I was losing my grip on the ability to do so for myself.

When crisis comes, many of us determined to buckle down to believe that grit and fortitude

will be enough to weather the storm.

But what this often can mean is that we want to be strong, though scripture tells us that

God's grace is made perfect in our weakness.

Try as we might to avoid them, crises will come for us in this life.

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