St. Francis Prayer ~ take eight

The next set of petitions are ones that I think feed and flow together.  Grant that I may not seek...stay with me on those words.  What do you seek right now?  Some are seeking a cure from an illness.  Some are seeking stability in a world of sinking sand.  Some are not sure and feel restless because of it.

What are you seeking??

I love the scene in Harry Potter where Harry and Dumbledore are standing in front of the Mirror of Erised ~ which is "Desire" spelled backwards.  And when you look into the mirror it will show you your heart's desire.  Harry wants to see his parents who died protecting him.  (Sorry...spoiler alert there).  But Dumbledore sees a pair of warm socks.  I think somewhere between those two desires most of us find ourselves.  We do desire big things ~ peace for the world and equality and justice.  But, we also desire small things ~ food on the table, laughter, and being loved. (Maybe that last one should be categorize in the "Big Things" camp).

What are you seeking??

Not only right now in this moment, but this week?

St. Francis goes on to say, we can point our hearts toward consoling, understanding, and loving others.  Three things...which actually build on each other.  When we console, we have empathy.  Empathy is the doorway to caring.  Empathy is saying that everyone is created in God's image.  If you don't have empathy, there can be no understanding, and where there is no understanding, love struggles to survive.

A quick example.  You are having a bad day...so the flow of empathy like a hose folded in half is being cut off.  So, you hear your spouse's comment through that blockage...which is turn leads to saying something that you eventually apologize for speaking.

These three are not separate, distinctive or different...they are interconnected and interwoven together.  You cannot love without some level of understanding (which is why we talk for hours when we are first dating someone) and without empathy or seeing the humanity of each person we will struggle to understand.  It is a cycle that St. Francis saw centuries ago...yet, we still can't find a way to live fully.

It does take practice and constantly committing to living this way.  So, who is that person right now who seems to have the code to push all your buttons?  That person you are struggling to empathize with and understand and even love?  Can you start by simply saying, "She or he is God's child."  Just let that sit and simmer or awhile.  It might take time, but trust in the slow work of the spirit.  As you do, may the realization that our lives are caught up in a single garment of mutuality (thank you to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for that).  May you sense a grace that grounds you in the garden of God's presence, clearing your vision and helping you hear afresh this day.

Blessings ~~