Breath prayers for the rest of us…

…the rest of us…
…who have waited… and waited… far longer than we wanted or was comfortable.
…who have mourned and are still mourning… and may never stop mourning because letting go of the grief feels like a betrayal of all we’ve lost.
…who are struggling… with depression, anxiety, chronic pain and terminal illness… or maybe… just life.
…who feel unseen… unheard… misunderstood… forgotten… by others… by God.
…who have prayed all the prayers and have simply run out of prayers… whose prayers have been reduced to silence.

…if you feel lost, invisible or engulfed by pain… these prayers are for you.

The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shone.
Isaiah 9:2 ESV

As we journey through Advent, we are reminded once more that it is typically described as a season of waiting. Even more so, as a season of waiting in darkness. Our first week we lit a candle of Hope. Then, a candle of Peace. And last week, the candle of Joy. This week we light another candle… continuing to push back the darkness… the candle of Love.

How do we find love in the dark wintering seasons of our souls?

Love is often difficult to find in the difficult parts of our journey. They say that “Love is blind,” but I would counter that in difficulties we are often the ones blinded to the love around us. The number of times and the many ways I’ve pushed love away in seasons of darkness is rather difficult to admit. We become numb to the advances of kindness, compassion and love being offered. Our wounded attachment patterns cause us to push these away so often that some folks might simply stop offering.

I’m reminded of the sweatshirt that says, “Dear person behind me… the world is a better place with you in it.” You may be standing behind someone one day in a checkout line and see that shirt. You may never even see the face of the person offering you this small expression of kindness… but it is there just the same. How can we open ourselves up to the acts of kindness, compassion and love being extended our way? How can we work towards healing our dysfunctional attachment patterns so that we can grow in our awareness of the love being offered to us?

Breathe this breath prayer with me:
Inhale: Healing Love, come
Exhale: I let go of my unhealthy attachments
Inhale: Open my eyes to Love
Exhale: help me to see again

I also invite you to spend some time with this beautiful guided meditation recording from Ruah Space ministries: A Light Has Come Advent Meditation.

May this prayer light a candle of LOVE within.
Godspeed on the journey, my friend,
Jody

(C) 2025 Jody Thomae

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Jody is an author, spiritual director, worship leader and trauma-informed somatic therapist working at the intersections of spirituality, embodiment, healing, beauty and worship. You can find her books on Amazon and her offerings in living a more fully embodied, whole hearted life at www.fullyembodied.com.