In today’s prayer we celebrate the words of Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s blessing found in The Book of Joy. We are thankful for the Archbishop’s willingness to convey God’s love for all of us and his extraordinary ability to find joy amidst violence and destruction. May his words nurture the goodness that is stirring within us.
God, who is forever pouring out God’s whole being from all eternity, wants you to flourish. God wants you to be filled with joy and excitement and ever longing to be able to find what is so beautiful in God’s creation: the compassion of so many, the caring, the sharing. And God says, ‘Please, my child, help me. Help me to spread love and laughter and joy and compassion.’
We give thanks for the people and organizations who work tirelessly to create a better world for those who are suffering in mind, body, and spirit:
Catalina Cock Duque, Co-Founder of Fundación Mi Sangre (Colombia), a social organization dedicated to helping new generations build a culture of peace in the country. It works to develop life, leadership, and social entrepreneurship skills in young people, impacting more than 2 million people in Colombia.
God of Peace, thank you for gifting the world with Catalina who shares her leadership skills by bringing others to peace.
Rudayna Abdo, Founder, Chief Executive Officer and President of Thaki (Lebanon), a social impact non-profit organization that delivers learning tools to schools catering to refugee and vulnerable children in the Middle East. By taking used computer hardware and ed-tech software, it has delivered hope and educational opportunities to tens of thousands of children.
Spirit of Hope, we see your hand in Rudayna’s work. Lead others to invest in the lives of children, we pray.
Shuchin Bajaj, Founder and Director of Ujala Cygnus Hospitals (India), which provide super-specialty and emergency healthcare in parts of India where no such facilities exist. Shuchin is part of Medpho, a digital health start-up providing quality healthcare to left-behind communities, which is already ensuring surgeries to hundreds of patients per month at zero out-of-pocket cost.
Lover of the Left-behind, You provide beautiful guidance to Shuchin, and inspire us all to do more for those who have less.
Li Xia, Founder of Shenzhen Power-Solution (China), a supplier of off-grid solar home systems designed for the 730 million people worldwide who lack access to electricity and rely on candles and kerosene for lighting. Xia’s company has provided solar-powered light to nearly 50 million people, with a heavy focus on sub-Saharan Africa. It has protected tens of thousands of children from respiratory diseases caused by using kerosene and candles.
God of Light, You led Xia to use her gifts to benefit others. Guide us to see the light in ourselves and in others.
A team of scientists working at the Georgia Institute of Technology (United States) have developed a new device that can deliver therapeutic agents for the treatment of glaucoma. Their single-button device revolutionizes the administration of glaucoma therapeutics, making it safer and easier for individuals with glaucoma to self-administer the drug.
God of Innovation and Wonder, You have created amazing human beings with tremendous gifts. Thank You for holding them as they impact our lives.
Virginia State Parks (United States) have equipped all 43 managed properties with special viewfinders for the colorblind. The lenses in the viewfinders, made by SeeCoast Manufacturing, allow those with red-green Color Vision Deficiency (affecting over three hundred million people world-wide) to experience the full breadth of color inherent in the autumnal leaf displays that Virginia is famous for.
Spirit of Glorious Color, You know the impact that beauty has on our lives. Give us every opportunity to see it, to feel it, to taste it. Amen.
Dear Child of God, you are loved with a love that nothing can shake, a love that loved you long before you were created, a love that will be there long after everything has disappeared. You are precious, with a preciousness that is totally quite immeasurable. And God wants you to be like God. Filled with life and goodness and laughter—and joy.
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