"I also have a prayer request that I'd prefer to be kept anonymous...my family is...sort of quietly dysfunctional? A lot of it you'd never guess if you'd just met us because it's so subtle. Our education is a big part of that. We could really use prayer in that area, because it's really bad, and I could really use prayer on what to do about my relationship with my mom, because it's consistently getting worse, I've tried to do something about it a couple times, and it's not any better. I've ended up hurt, and...I don't know how she's ended up. But there's a lot of bitterness that I'm holding onto that I know I need to let go of but really, REALLY don't want to because of both pride and past experience. I don't know how to let it go and protect myself, or even if I need to protect myself...it's a mess. I could really use prayer."

Abba, sometimes it is hard to love our family. They drive us up the wall, speak to us in a manner that does not reflect You, and in turn, we act according to our will rather than Yours. You call us to honor our mothers and fathers, and as far as it depends on us, to live at peace with those around us. That is not always an easy thing to do.

I lift up our friend to You, and I ask that You would send Your Holy Spirit to clean out the toxic bitterness in our friend's heart and that You would bring restoration to their relationship. Help our friend, as far as it depends on them, to honor their parents and live at peace with them. Not because their parents always deserve it, but because it is honoring to You. We ask this in Jesus's mighty name, Amen.