As the day comes to a close, there is often more left behind than we realize. Unfinished tasks. Unspoken words. Moments we replay, wondering what we could have done differently.
Evening invites us to stop carrying everything forward.
This is not a time to review or correct the day. It is a time to loosen our grip, to set things down gently, and to allow rest to arrive without conditions.
Wherever this day has taken you, you are allowed to pause now.
Take a slow breath. Let your shoulders soften. And when you are ready, begin.
An Evening Prayer
As this day draws to a close,
I release what no longer needs to be held.I release the moments that felt heavy,
the words I wish I had chosen differently,
the things I did not finish,
and the expectations I placed upon myself.I do not need to carry today into tomorrow.
If I did what I could, let that be enough.
If I fell short, let there be grace.
If I was hurt or disappointed, let healing begin quietly.Help my thoughts slow as the light fades.
Help my body rest without resistance.
Help my heart find calm where it has been restless.I place down the worries that followed me through the day.
I set aside the need to solve everything tonight.
I trust that what remains unfinished can wait.Let peace settle where tension has lived.
Let forgiveness replace self-judgment.
Let rest come without guilt.As I prepare for sleep,
watch over what I cannot control.
Hold what I no longer need to manage.
Carry what feels too heavy for me tonight.I give thanks for the moments of steadiness,
for the quiet help I may not have noticed,
and for the simple gift of reaching the end of this day.I rest now.
I release this day.
I receive the stillness of night.Amen.
A Quiet Closing
You can return to this prayer whenever the day feels difficult to set down.
Rest does not require everything to be resolved.