A Thanksgiving Prayer for the Family Business

A reading for your family this holiday season

I’m taking a break this week from our study of David and his family, and sending you an updated version of a prayer I wrote several years ago for those working in family businesses. May God’s blessings be upon you this week, and thanks for your continued support of my Faith & Family Business newsletter.

As we enter a holiday season with our traditions and gatherings, let's begin with a sincere expression of gratitude for our family members, and others, who contribute so significantly to our lives.

  • Thanks for the relationships with our business partners, families, and friends that sustain and nourish us daily.

  • Thanks for the talents of our co-workers as we endeavor to serve our customers and communities.

  • Thanks for the challenges we encounter in life and work, difficulties that ultimately strengthen our commitments to one another as well as deepen our faith and character.

  • Thanks for successes, large and small, that provide for the well-being of our families.

  • Thanks for those who serve and protect, allowing us to freely worship, and to pursue our vocations through our family companies.

We know the holiday season can be a time of genuine difficulty — emotional, physical, financial or spiritual — for many people. We pray for them:

  • We pray for healing of families broken by pain, conflict and misunderstanding; for reconciliation between family members who have endured years of either silence or harsh words from those they love.

  • We pray for recovery for family members struggling with depression or addiction, as this season can be especially trying.

  • We pray for the recuperation of our family and friends challenged by their physical health.

  • We pray for good judgment for those struggling with the direction of their career or the survival of their business.

  • We pray those suffering will experience the restoration of their strength, a sense of peace and the assurance they are loved and treasured.

As stewards of our family relationships, hear our supplications:

  • Help our family members feel welcome at our gatherings.

  • Help us to hear to those closest to us, whose words we often take for granted, and provide us wisdom in knowing what to say, as our words can at times be hurtful.

  • Give us the courage to forgive those closest to us when we are hurt by them.

  • Remind us to appreciate the legacy of our family and business, while giving us the foresight to continue building resiliency in our families for generations to come.

May our gratitude, our prayers, and our requests be heard this day. Amen.