Begin your day with this honest morning prayer

Be honest and tell God how much you need him this day.

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An essential element of the spiritual life is honesty, especially with regard to ourselves. It’s tempting to distance ourselves from God, thinking that we can handle life on our own. It is a mindset that is consistent with the saying, “Pull yourself up by your bootstraps.”

While self-reliance can be good at times, ultimately we have to be honest and recognize our weakness before God, asking him to pull us up.

Here is a short prayer by St. Francis de Sales that takes this into account, and asks God for help as we start the day.

Lord, I lay before you my weak heart, which you can fill with good desires. You know that I am unable to bring the same to good effect, unless you bless and prosper them, and therefore, O Loving Father, I entreat you to help me by the Merits and Passion of your Dear Son, to Whose Honor I would devote this day and my whole life.