A Poem Becomes a Prayer

Egyptian Poet Mostofa Ibrahim

My son-in-law shared a beautiful little poem that seems to be all over the Internet and attributed to Poet Mostofa Ibrahim. I wish I could find a book of his poetry... everything seems to be out of print or so rare that it is unattainable. I resonate with with this poem anyway... and all I've done to transform it into a Christian prayer is to address it to Jesus and aim it at myself (replacing each 'you' with an 'I'):

Lord Jesus,
May I never be the reason why someone who loved to sing,
doesn’t anymore.
Or why someone who dressed so uniquely,
now wears plain clothing.
Or why someone who always spoke so excitedly about their dreams,
is now silent about them.
May I never be the reason someone gave up on a part of themselves
because I was demotivating, hypocritical, or even worse
— sarcastic about it.

—A Prayer Inspired by poet Mostofa Ibrahim

See the original Poem by clicking here.

What especially strikes me in the original poem is that in spite of being treated in the manner that the poet speaks of I still do it to others. I can be that critical voice, that mocker, that dream crusher that guy who uses sarcasm as a weapon.

Which is precisely why I saw the need to personalize it, address it to my higher power and make it into a prayer I recite often.

I start my first course in pursuing a certificate in Spiritual Direction this Wednesday through Divine Mercy University. I know that as a person who has sponsored many people in recovery that I have much to improve upon in learning to walk with people gently, truly seeing the true, good and beautiful in each person I encounter.

I sense that this prayer will be a small but important part of that journey of learning to be a truly empathetic companion on life's journey to souls that want such a companion.

God's will, not mine be done.