LovingKindness

 

Today we will explore the Lovingkindness prayer practice.  This comes from the website themindfulchristian.com

Begin with comfortably sitting relaxed and engaged.  Focus in on your breathing, trying to find that peaceful rhythm of exhale and inhale.  Practicing lovingkindness has compelling research backing showing that it increases shared feelings of love with others as well as personal feelings of happiness. It is also a highly flexible practice and can be modified to be a more direct prayer or a more literal expression of Christian theology. One option is to use the phrases "May I/you know God's love. May I/you know God's joy. May I/you know God's peace. May I/you know God's rest."

You can begin this prayer for yourself.  May I know God’s love.  Pause with an open heart to encounter God’s love.  May I know God’s joy.  Pause with gratitude for where you have encountered traces of God’s grace.  May I know God’s peace.  Pause to recall and remember places where you encountered shalom – well-being in your mind, body, heart, and soul.  May I know God’s rest.  Quietly sit with the Sacred in the moment.  

Now you repeat this with the name of a family member.  May ____ know God’s love.  Pause.  May ____ know God’s joy.  Pause.  Continue until you have offered each of the four phrases for that person.  You can repeat for each family member or friend in your heart.  

The challenge is to also pray for our enemies, the people who push our buttons.  The one who said a hurtful comment that left a papercut on your soul.  You pray for the person honestly to know God’s love, joy, peace, and rest.  Often people who hurt others are hurting so deeply within him or herself.  The person is unable to love his/her neighbor because he/she doesn’t love him/herself first.  I realize this is difficult.  I invite you to try this first with those who are mildly irritating, people in your life who deep down you wish the best for, but s/he grates on you from time to time.  Often, we want to try a practice with someone who really hurt you.  That, to me, would be like trying to run five miles the first time you went out for a jog.  Try to ease into praying for the people in your life who are difficult.

I pray this will open you to God’s presence and open others who we hold in our hearts to the Holy hovering and hanging around their lives as well.