A prayer for opening the working day

Master of the World, a full day lies before me. There are tasks I set for myself, meetings and conversations waiting for me, and people I will meet without knowing in advance what they will ask of me. I open this day before You, even before I open the computer or leave the house.

Give me order in my mind. Help me tell what is truly important today from what only looks urgent, and do first what needs to be done. Keep me from wasting the hours on things that move nothing forward, and from putting off again and again the task I am afraid of. Give me quick hands and a calm heart, so that I work seriously without being pressured.

In every negotiation, in every price I quote and every promise I make, keep me honest. Do not let me cut corners to gain a moment, or say something untrue to get out of an awkward spot. And give me patience for the people I meet today: for the customer who is angry, for the colleague who makes a mistake, for the one who asks for my help exactly when I have no time. Help me see each of them as a person, and not as one more item on the list.

And at the end of the day, when I close what I began, let me know that I did my part faithfully, and that I left the rest in Your hands.

And let me find joy in the work itself: in a problem solved, in a customer who left satisfied, in help I gave. Let work not be only a way to earn a living, but a place where one can do good and sanctify Your name, honestly and calmly.