## 16:11
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> The Path of Life
>> You will show me the path of life. In your presence is fullness of joy. In your right hand there are pleasures forever more.

Occasion: Fearing joy won't last

Lord, even in good hours
I brace for their ending.
I hold my laughter lightly,
so it will cost less when it ends.

Something beautiful happens,
and almost at once I begin imagining its absence.
I do not mean to refuse the gift.
I am only afraid of how much it may hurt
to have loved it after it is gone.

Teach me how to receive joy
without clutching it
and without mourning it before it's even gone.
Let me be present while it is here.
Let gratitude have this moment
without demanding a promise about the next.

I stand at Your table
already bracing myself for loss.
Fear empties the cup
before I've even tasted it.

Root me in the joy that comes from Your presence,
where the meal is not stolen by panic,
and gladness is not ruled by dread.
When fear rises beside the joy,
help me not to mistake it for wisdom.

I keep fearing the future.
Turn my face to the present.
Keep me here at Your table.

Amen.