A Prayer for Women Striving to Be Prolific, by Michelle Nicole Murphy
Dear God, Thank You for love, joy and peace. I am even more thankful for Your protection and refuge in my life, and take comfort in knowing Your love for me. I feel grateful to be alive even though my journey through life in general has been difficult. I feel as if my epiphanies and deep realizations come from Above, as I can see the very purpose of these experiences to be good outcomes and an answer to my prayers. Praise You all the more! I ask that You continue to work on my heart and mind. I ask that You encourage the indwelling of the Spirit, so that I may have more patience, faithfulness, self-control, and other Galatians 5 fruits of the Spirit. I pray I will always strive towards being a Proverbs 31 woman, so as to maximize the blessings I pass along to others. I am working towards being a prolific fruit-bearing real woman. I am thankful for high expectations and encouragement towards me by those closest to me throughout my life. High expectations also come from You Lord. May You continue to bless me, and keep me as Your own daughter. It is an honor to be a daughter of yours; it is an honor to be a sister, girlfriend, female colleague, aunt, niece, wife, and to also be my mom's daughter. Glory be to God! Amen.
The Prayer I Should Pray, by Michelle Nicole Murphy
(as a woman, as a wife, as a business owner, as someone who has been healed, as a Christian, as someone whose prayers have been answered over time)
I praise You God when I wake,
Because the miracle of me breathing
And moving about,
Is tied to my second chance at life,
And 6 months in a wheelchair.
I praise You God when I am busy,
Because I am no longer busy in the rat race,
You’ve answered that prayer too,
A life of boredom is now a life of passion,
And we do not struggle to pay bills.
I praise You God that I am with a spouse,
Because he draws me near to You,
Makes me laugh and finds me beautiful,
Extends his soul into mine,
And leaves me mostly wanton of nothing else.
I praise You God that I sleep soundly at night,
For too many nights have been of horror,
Or insomnia, Or without good rest.
I now rest every night and wake up with
Daylight as my companion, Night no longer my enemy.
I confess to You God that I fall short,
In being prayerful, in faith - especially concerning Jesus.
I think childish things, and pursue the non-essential.
I wake up wanting to have a fun and easy day,
When my mind should be on love and charity.
I confess to You God that I am often tempted,
And do what is righteous most often,
But not always. And I am fearful of those
Who tempt me and I am not God-fearing enough.
Bring about redemption of my Soul.
I realize the world is a mess today, and ask for justice.
With your perfect just ways, deal with us accordingly,
So we can be more just and righteous in our ways.
Perhaps that is Your mercy, or perhaps it is Your judgment.
There is a time for everything in Your world.
I ask You God to give me strength and courage,
To be a warrior still in Your army, even after my failings,
To resist temptation, to be a virtuous woman and wife.
I ask for continued blessings in my life.
And the mental capacity to live a life of deep love.
I ask as Jesus so bravely did, to do Your will, not mine.
And to know what that means in my heart and mind,
And to know peace by casting my cares onto You.
For I take upon my own will by nature,
And carry a heavy burden at times.
I thank You for lifting that burden recently,
As I am laughing and light-hearted again.
I thank You for exposing me to difficult experiences,
As others do not get to lead such an interesting personal life.
I thank You for delivering me personally from evil.
Glory be to God.
Glory be to Jesus and the Saints in heaven.
Glory be to God’s army - angels and Christians.
Consider my accomplishments Yours,
And remind me by the Spirit to Glorify Your name.
In Jesus Name, Amen
A Poem - Something Outside of Herself, by Michelle Nicole Murphy
I get my typewriter out
And it says to me, “Push my buttons.”
This is what I type:
Psychosis wipes away the tears
Of frozen words.
You say, “She’s possessed!”
But that does not capture the meaning.
Words are spectrums -
Not concrete shapes.
I say, “She’s also on the spectrum
Of inspired -
Something outside of herself causes
Her to dance, to tick.
"If it’s not black or white,
Then it’s gray?”
No! What we’re talking about
Isn't even colors.
It’s shades - or shadows really
And how they appear
And disappear.
Mental illness is a bad choice of terms.
I got issues - you got issues.
That’s it!
And hell no! - I don’t want
Your issues instead of mine.
I have abstract thoughts
That have broken me from the
Wrist ties that keep us locked away,
And from reasoning and speaking.
I’ve slipped away enough times
To know I don’t do any kind of
Cocktail that will make me slip again.
It’s a question I’ve faced -
Whether to have a daughter that
Might be a duplicate of me.
I would protect her.
Oh glorious! I’ve climbed a mountain
Before and given a speech to no one.
Oh dreadful! I’ve nailed a semi-truck
And only by God’s grace stand here now.
Oh police! Oh naked in terror
Running down the street.
Sheer terror makes my rides
Not worth any set of dollar bills.
I am older than I look.
I’ve been possessed and inspired!
At war and brought about peace!
I am known in the spirit world
And I have been anointed.
Oil has glazed down my head - my crown.
I put the typewriter down and speak.
I said psychosis wipes away the tears of frozen words.
That cocktails can free us from our prisons.
If you zero in on thousands of years what are ladies still talking about?
The glorious, the dreadful, and the police.
Inspiration, war and peace.
Cocktails, the spirit world, my issues - her issues.
Protecting their daughters.
The woman’s shadow has always been there, it never disappears.
But almost all shadows are worth chasing after.
Something outside of herself causes
Her to dance, to tick.
"If it’s not black or white,
Then it’s gray?”
No! What we’re talking about
Isn't even colors.
It’s shades - or shadows really
And how they appear
And disappear.
Dear God, Thank You for love, joy and peace. I am even more thankful for Your protection and refuge in my life, and take comfort in knowing Your love for me. I feel grateful to be alive even though my journey through life in general has been difficult. I feel as if my epiphanies and deep realizations come from Above, as I can see the very purpose of these experiences to be good outcomes and an answer to my prayers. Praise You all the more! I ask that You continue to work on my heart and mind. I ask that You encourage the indwelling of the Spirit, so that I may have more patience, faithfulness, self-control, and other Galatians 5 fruits of the Spirit. I pray I will always strive towards being a Proverbs 31 woman, so as to maximize the blessings I pass along to others. I am working towards being a prolific fruit-bearing real woman. I am thankful for high expectations and encouragement towards me by those closest to me throughout my life. High expectations also come from You Lord. May You continue to bless me, and keep me as Your own daughter. It is an honor to be a daughter of yours; it is an honor to be a sister, girlfriend, female colleague, aunt, niece, wife, and to also be my mom's daughter. Glory be to God! Amen.
The Prayer I Should Pray, by Michelle Nicole Murphy
(as a woman, as a wife, as a business owner, as someone who has been healed, as a Christian, as someone whose prayers have been answered over time)
I praise You God when I wake,
Because the miracle of me breathing
And moving about,
Is tied to my second chance at life,
And 6 months in a wheelchair.
I praise You God when I am busy,
Because I am no longer busy in the rat race,
You’ve answered that prayer too,
A life of boredom is now a life of passion,
And we do not struggle to pay bills.
I praise You God that I am with a spouse,
Because he draws me near to You,
Makes me laugh and finds me beautiful,
Extends his soul into mine,
And leaves me mostly wanton of nothing else.
I praise You God that I sleep soundly at night,
For too many nights have been of horror,
Or insomnia, Or without good rest.
I now rest every night and wake up with
Daylight as my companion, Night no longer my enemy.
I confess to You God that I fall short,
In being prayerful, in faith - especially concerning Jesus.
I think childish things, and pursue the non-essential.
I wake up wanting to have a fun and easy day,
When my mind should be on love and charity.
I confess to You God that I am often tempted,
And do what is righteous most often,
But not always. And I am fearful of those
Who tempt me and I am not God-fearing enough.
Bring about redemption of my Soul.
I realize the world is a mess today, and ask for justice.
With your perfect just ways, deal with us accordingly,
So we can be more just and righteous in our ways.
Perhaps that is Your mercy, or perhaps it is Your judgment.
There is a time for everything in Your world.
I ask You God to give me strength and courage,
To be a warrior still in Your army, even after my failings,
To resist temptation, to be a virtuous woman and wife.
I ask for continued blessings in my life.
And the mental capacity to live a life of deep love.
I ask as Jesus so bravely did, to do Your will, not mine.
And to know what that means in my heart and mind,
And to know peace by casting my cares onto You.
For I take upon my own will by nature,
And carry a heavy burden at times.
I thank You for lifting that burden recently,
As I am laughing and light-hearted again.
I thank You for exposing me to difficult experiences,
As others do not get to lead such an interesting personal life.
I thank You for delivering me personally from evil.
Glory be to God.
Glory be to Jesus and the Saints in heaven.
Glory be to God’s army - angels and Christians.
Consider my accomplishments Yours,
And remind me by the Spirit to Glorify Your name.
In Jesus Name, Amen
A Poem - Something Outside of Herself, by Michelle Nicole Murphy
I get my typewriter out
And it says to me, “Push my buttons.”
This is what I type:
Psychosis wipes away the tears
Of frozen words.
You say, “She’s possessed!”
But that does not capture the meaning.
Words are spectrums -
Not concrete shapes.
I say, “She’s also on the spectrum
Of inspired -
Something outside of herself causes
Her to dance, to tick.
"If it’s not black or white,
Then it’s gray?”
No! What we’re talking about
Isn't even colors.
It’s shades - or shadows really
And how they appear
And disappear.
Mental illness is a bad choice of terms.
I got issues - you got issues.
That’s it!
And hell no! - I don’t want
Your issues instead of mine.
I have abstract thoughts
That have broken me from the
Wrist ties that keep us locked away,
And from reasoning and speaking.
I’ve slipped away enough times
To know I don’t do any kind of
Cocktail that will make me slip again.
It’s a question I’ve faced -
Whether to have a daughter that
Might be a duplicate of me.
I would protect her.
Oh glorious! I’ve climbed a mountain
Before and given a speech to no one.
Oh dreadful! I’ve nailed a semi-truck
And only by God’s grace stand here now.
Oh police! Oh naked in terror
Running down the street.
Sheer terror makes my rides
Not worth any set of dollar bills.
I am older than I look.
I’ve been possessed and inspired!
At war and brought about peace!
I am known in the spirit world
And I have been anointed.
Oil has glazed down my head - my crown.
I put the typewriter down and speak.
I said psychosis wipes away the tears of frozen words.
That cocktails can free us from our prisons.
If you zero in on thousands of years what are ladies still talking about?
The glorious, the dreadful, and the police.
Inspiration, war and peace.
Cocktails, the spirit world, my issues - her issues.
Protecting their daughters.
The woman’s shadow has always been there, it never disappears.
But almost all shadows are worth chasing after.
Something outside of herself causes
Her to dance, to tick.
"If it’s not black or white,
Then it’s gray?”
No! What we’re talking about
Isn't even colors.
It’s shades - or shadows really
And how they appear
And disappear.