There's a prayer for the day you're actually having.

Lord, I am tired of being the strong one. I keep picking this back up after I hand it to You. I do not know how to stop. You never asked me to carry it by myself. You asked me to walk with You while I carry it — and somewhere in the noise I started walking ahead. Slow me down. Take the weight I keep reaching for. Let me feel, just for tonight, that I am not the only one holding this house together. Amen.

Pray has a 21-day plan for exactly this — Stress. Short sessions, one a day, free to start.

Open it on Pray

You did it. You actually did it. The thing I begged for on the bad nights is sitting here in my hands, and I am almost afraid to look straight at it. Do not let me get comfortable and quiet. Do not let the gift crowd out the Giver. I want to be as close to You now as I was when I had nothing to show for it. Thank You. I am still learning how to say that without asking for something in the same breath. Amen.

There is a 21-day plan on Pray called Happiness — free, all of it, one short session a day.

Open it on Pray

I did not come back cleaned up. I came back the way I am — behind on everything, short with the people I love, quieter with You than I have been in years. I keep waiting until I am worth the conversation. That day is not coming, and I think You already knew that. You came looking anyway. Meet me here, in the mess, before I have fixed a single thing. Amen.

There is a free series on Pray called I'm Not _____ Enough. Five parts. You can fill in the blank yourself.

Open it on Pray

The pot is boiling over and so am I. Somebody is crying, the bathroom is underwater, and nobody in this house is listening to a word I say. I am not failing this hour. The hour is just hard. Help me believe that while it is still happening, and not only at ten o'clock when it is finally quiet. Not by my strength. I have spent it. By Yours. Amen.

Pray has a 21-day Patience plan. Under a minute a day, which is about what five o'clock allows.

Open it on Pray

You gave me limits on purpose. I keep treating them like a personal failing — the tiredness, the short fuse, the needing to sit down in the middle of the afternoon. Let the toys stay where they are tonight. Let dinner be toast. Let me say no to one good thing without spending the rest of the week explaining it. Resting is not falling behind. Teach me to believe that on a Tuesday, not just on a Sunday. Amen.

There is a 21-day plan on Pray called Calm — free, and short enough to fit a Tuesday.

Open it on Pray