God of history and of our hearts,

. . . so much has happened to us during these whirlwind days:

Help us to believe in beginnings

and in our beginning again,

no matter how often we’ve failed before.

      
Help us to make beginnings:

to begin going out of our weary minds

into fresh dreams,

daring to make our own bold tracks

in the land of now;

to begin forgiving

that we may experience mercy;

to begin questioning the unquestionable

that we may know truth

to begin sacrificing

that we may make peace;
                                                                                            to begin loving 

that we may realize joy.
                                                                
Help us to be a beginning to others,

to be a singer to the songless,

a storyteller to the aimless,

a befriender of the friendless;

to become a beginning of hope for the despairing,

of assurance for the doubting,

of reconciliation for the divided;

to become a beginning of freedom for the oppressed,

of comfort for the sorrowing,

of friendship for the forgotten;

to become a beginning of beauty for the forlorn,

of sweetness for the soured,

of gentleness for the angry,

of wholeness for the broken,

of peace for the frightened and violent of the earth.

Help us to believe in beginnings,

to make a beginning,

to be a beginning,

so that we may not just grow old,

but grow new

each day of this wonderful, amazing life

you call us to live
 . . .

From Guerrillas of Grace                                                     
by Ted Loder