Note: this blessing invites people into deep and tender places. Please visit the suggestions for worship leaders at the bottom of this page.
Before we begin, I invite you to take a breath if that’s comfortable for you.
Let it be deep enough to touch whatever feels tender inside you.
Let it be gentle enough for whatever you may be carrying within you.
There is nothing you need to fix in this moment; soften, if you can, and let your heart open a little.
I’ll speak this brief prayer three times, pausing between each one.
May these words meet you where you are and offer you what you need.
A Blessing for the One I Cannot Forgive
May you find peace even though I cannot be its source.
May the wound that impelled you to hurt fill in over time.
May I release the weight of holding you in judgment, because I am worthy of rest. I am worthy of being at peace. I am worthy of feeling free.
May I find peace in letting go even if forgiveness never comes.
Leader notes
- We suggest that, as indicated, you read the blessing's title before you read the prayer for the first time.
- Pause after reading each line of the prayer
- After you read the entire prayer, pause for approximately ten seconds before delivering it again.
- We suggest that when you read the blessing for the third and final time, you read it more slowly than the previous two times.
- Plan an intentional way "out" of the blessing (e.g., with music) rather than transitioning abruptly to the next moment in worship.