Father,
Sometimes I find it so hard to pour out the contents of my heart. I feel like my heart is so full and I'll spend ALL DAY just dumping stuff. Father, please just search every nook, cranny, and crevice and begin to empty and clean it. Please. I hate carrying all of this. I feel like I empty it and then my heart begins to fill again. Please just replace everything you remove from my heart with those things of you. Make it so I have no room for the negative things to fill my heart.
Father, I must be honest: growing and stretching hurts. I don't like my heart being pruned. I don't like the feeling my flesh gets as it dies daily. It doesn't feel good. It doesn't feel good having my faith stretched and tested. Lord, it hurts going through the fire. The flames burn. The words cut. The waiting depresses me. My arms are sore from carrying my cross. My pride and ego hurts that I have to admit that I get tired. I get discouraged. I contemplate giving up.
But Father, I know it's so worth it in the end. It hurts now, but it won't in the end. You're faithful and you'll help me through this. You've proven your faithfulness time and time again. My pruning is for my own good. My hurts, struggles, and heavy load brings me closer to you. It brings me to my knees before your feet. It brings me to recognize that I can't do this life without you. Only you are strong enough to carry my burdens. Only you can fill me with peace, joy, strength, faith...
Father, help me to dump the contents of my hurting heart before your feet. Pluck out my fears, my insecurities, my selfishness, my burdens that I keep hidden even from myself. Help me to never forget that you're always there waiting for me to cast my cares on to you.