My Yom Kippur Prayer

Dear God,

On this eve of Yom Kippur, I want to apologize for all the times You put a gift in my hands, and I turned it down. 

For all the times You gave me the tremendous gift of speech; with the power of prayer, of unifying words, words to comfort, and words to uplift—but I chose instead to remain quiet. 

For all the times You gave me the beautiful gift of thought; with the ability to explore Your wisdom, wonder at creation, ponder solutions, and search for the good—but I chose instead to remain ignorant. 

For all the times You gave me the incredible gift of action; with the potential to transform the mundane to a higher purpose, to unite my hands with Your will, to provide assistance, and to create—but I chose instead to remain idle. 

Dear God, I am sorry for each time I turned down Your gift, because I thought I wasn’t enough, that I was too small.

I am sorry that I did not understand, I did not believe—that wrapped inside the gift was also strength, and You Yourself offering support, and guidance. 

I am sorry for all the times I did not believe in myself, I did not believe in You; I did not believe in us. 

Dear God, please grant me another chance, another year of Your wondrous gifts; and this time, I will do my best to remember all that is wrapped inside.