This prayer is from William Penn, an English Quaker who founded the colony of Pennsylvania in America, which he envisioned as a place of religious and personal freedom.
O God, help us not to despise or oppose what we do not understand.
A Blessing for Openness
May you pray for the grace of God to open your eyes to the beauty that surrounds you.
May you seek connection to all that breathes remembering to honor their God-given autonomy.
May you learn that yes opens doors through which you can always leave if you don’t want to stay but no closes a door and you will never know what you didn’t discover.
May you soften your ego and let your true self emerge to be open to new ideas, people, places, foods, and experiences.
May your mind be open to new possibilities.
May you be like a curious child where openness is a natural state of being.
May your heart say yes to God now and forever.
— Kaki Grubbs, Spiritual Literacy Certificates Program, 2024 Cohort
Other Prayers
Open-hearted
May my heart stay open and loving even when I'm feeling hurt and frayed.
May I learn always to include others in love's vast embrace.
May my heart remain pure and kind amid the painful details and muck of life.
May virtue and serenity belong to all, even my competitors and adversaries.
May my brokenheartedness open my heart even further (like open-heart surgery) and bring forth love and open-hearted compassion.
— Lama Surya Das in Letting Go of the Person You Used to Be
Openings
O Lord God, Creator of all
Open my eyes to beauty
Open my mind to wonder
Open my ears to others
Open my heart to you.
— David Adam in Power Lines: Celtic Prayers about Work
