Slow me down, O God. Ease the pounding of my heart by the quieting of our mind. Yet also, wake me up. Shake the complacency out of my soul by opening my mind to the cry of the wounded, the refugees wandering without homes, the homeless at home, and the children who starve. Steady my hurried pace with a vision of the eternal reach of time; Yet also, quicken my steps with a vision of the urgent action now required to cure the causes of stunted growth, premature death, battered women, and abused children. Give me, amid the confusion of the day, the calmness of the everlasting hills; Yet also, alert my eyes not to the comforting illusion of constancy divorced from change, but rather to such sharp reality as deep poverty surrounding us at home and abroad. Break the tensions of my nerves and muscles with the soothing music of the singing streams; Yet also, give me amid the calm days of our years, a soul which is prepared to cope with the confusion occurring amidst new creation in the cities and the countries of the earth. Help me to know the magical, restoring power of sleep; Yet also, break the chains of euphoria deluding me to think that I am acting responsibly when I do no more than listen to music which protects my feet from marching. Remind me of the fable of the hare and the tortoise, that I may know that there is more to life than increasing its speed; Yet also, remind me of the fable of the astrologer who fell plumb to the bottom of a well, not seeing his feet while reading the sky. Slow me down, O God, and inspire me to send my roots deep into the soil of life's enduring values, that I may grow more surely toward the stars; Yet also, wake me up, so our eyes may see the people around me and my arms may be open to embrace the suffering who cry.
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