An Ash Wednesday prayer

On this Ash Wednesday I am grateful to have come across the following prayer. It is written by Howard Thurman, a wonderful 20th century scholar, theologian, mystic, and human being. May you know the nearness of the Beloved as you begin the Lenten journey.

I surrender to God...

I surrender to God the nerve center of my consent. This is the very core of my will, the mainspring of my desiring, the essence of my conscious thought.

I surrender to God the outlying districts of myself. These are the side streets down which I walk at night, the alleys of my desires, the parts of me that have not been laid out with streets, the wooded area, the swamps and marshlands of my character.

I surrender to God the things in my world to which I am related. These are the work I do, the things I own or that threaten me with their ownership, the points at which I carry social responsibility among my fellows, the money I earn, my delight in clothes and good food.

I surrender to God the hopes, dreams and desires of my heart. These are the things I reserve for my innermost communion; these are the fires that burn on the various altars of my life; these are the outreaches of my spirit enveloping all the hurt, the pain, the injustices and the cruelties of life. These are the things by which I live and carry on.

- Howard Thurman, from Meditations of the Heart