Openness

Lord of Immortality,

Before whom angels bow and archangels veil their faces,

enable me to serve Thee with reverence and godly fear.

Thou who art Spirit and requirest truth in the inward parts,

help me to worship Thee in spirit and in truth.

Thou who art righteous,

let me not harbor sin in my heart,

or indulge a worldly temper,

or seek satisfaction in things that perish.

I hasten towards an hour when earthly pursuits and possessions will appear vain,

when it will be indifferent whether I have been

rich or poor,

successful or disappointed {as a mother and as a wife},

admired or despised {by my church, by my neighbors, by my friends, or the people I meet}.

But it will be of eternal moment that I have

mourned for sin {even though sometimes, my Christ, I have forgotten Your resurrection and only bow under the grief of how I have crucified You},

hungered and thirsted after righteousness,

loved the Lord in sincerity,

gloried in His cross.

May these objects engross my chief solicitude!

Produce in me those principles and dispositions that make Thy service perfect freedom.

Expel from my mind all sinful fear and shame,

so that with firmness and courage I may confess the Redeemer before men,

go forth with Him bearing His reproach,

be zealous with His knowledge,

be filled with His wisdom,

walk with His circumspection,

ask counsel of Him in all things,

repair to the Scriptures for His orders,

stay my mind on His peace,

knowing that nothing can befall me

without His permission, appointment, and administration.

The Valley of Vision