“Well, son, I’ll tell you:
Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
It’s had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor—
Bare.
But all the time
I’se been a-climbin’ on,
And reachin’ landin’s,
And turnin’ corners,
And sometimes goin’ in the dark
Where there ain’t been no light.
So boy, don’t you turn back.
Don’t you set down on the steps
’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.
Don’t you fall now—
For I’se still goin’, honey,
I’se still climbin’,
And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.”
(Mother to Son by Langston Hughes)
“He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.” (Genesis 28: 12)
On Friday, I keep seeing TGIF posts everywhere, and it makes me think that some people are pretty weary by the time Friday comes, without the energy to walk, much less climb stairs. If you are one of these people, then this prayer is for you.
Lord, you know it’s been a rough week
You know that I’ve done more than my share
And now it is Friday
And almost the end of the week
(At least it is, unless you are a minister)
Give me the energy to maintain
What I’ve been doing all week
So that the work I do today
Is just as good as the work I’ve already done
Help me to put my foot on the next stair
And the next and the next
So that, eventually,
I reach the place you have prepared for me
Amen
