Author: worrylessjourney

Let me sow love

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Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Francis of Assisi

prayer of st francis

This is an excerpt from the Prayer of St Francis. This is one of my favorites. We are becoming so divided. People are choosing to hate anyone who is different from them. We don’t spend any time getting to know the person. If we did we would probably change our minds. This hatred is so destructive. If it continues it will tear us all apart. I am sure that God weeps. Each of us must take it upon ourselves to make a change. We only have control over ourselves. Change can come one person at a time. Hatred can turn to love.

Loving God, how you must look down in distress at our anger and hatred. Help us to to sow love. AMEN 

God in the Dark

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No matter how dark everything is around us God is there. Psalm 23 reminds us that even in the valley of the shadow of death there is nothing to fear. God is always with us. He is in the light and the dark. We are never ever alone. It is so hard to remember this when the dark things of life seem to overcome us. We may not see God’s light but it is there.

shadows

God of light, you are always there holding the light for us whether we can see it or not. Help us believe in your promises and rest in your care. AMEN

Forgiveness Heals

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anger

It is so easy to be angry with someone who has hurt us in some way. It is also easy to hold on to that anger and feed it every day. Anger causes physical changes in the body. Blood pressure rises, heart rate increases and adrenaline increases. All these things are bad for our health. God calls us to forgiveness. We may not be able to forgive all at once but each day we can work at putting anger away. Forgiveness is healing. We are the ones who are healed the most.

Forgiving God, help us to learn to follow your example. You forgive our waywardness always. Help us to learn to forgive others as you forgive us. AMEN 

Live With Joy

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Joy is prayer; joy is strength: joy is love; joy is a net of love by which you can catch souls. Mother Teresa

God calls us to be joyful Christians. We are not to go around looking grim or sad. That certainly is not the kind of message that we need to give. We draw others to God by becoming someone that others want to be like. Loving is contagious. If we love we give it away constantly and others receive the blessing of it. Learn to be a joyful and loving Christian.

Joyful God, show us how to live in the joyful life that you have given us. Help us to show others love and joy. AMEN

be-joyful

Live the Moment

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Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.  Omar Khayyam

enjoy lifeIt is so difficult for us to live each day on its own. We either want to dwell in the past or plan and live in the future. We seldom take the time to be present in each moment. I have often driven to work and had no idea how I got there. This is not being present. We need to pay attention. We need to savor each moment of each day. It is all we have.

Amazing God, help us to be present in each moment. Don’t let us live each day completely unaware. We praise you for the life you have given us. Help us to experience it. AMEN

Don’t Be Afraid to Love

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We are afraid to care too much, for fear that the other person does not care at all. Eleanor Roosevelt

gods love never ends

None of us wants to love where there is no love in return. Many times we are afraid to get in too deep….afraid of being hurt. The thing is that we have to take a chance or else spend out life with no experience of love at all. It helps to understand that the one sure love is the love of God. His love will never fail us. We may not always feel it for feeling are mercurial but he is there. He has promised us that nothing can ever separate us from his love. He keeps his promises.

Loving God, help us to remember that your love is steadfast and always with us. Teach us to love others as you have called us to do. AMEN

Act as if

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Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.

William James

OurActionsMatterBanner

A number of years ago a Quaker friend said to me “act as if,” She was talking about how we act every day. If we act as if we are happy we may end up feeling better. If we act as if God is important in our lives just the action can cause us to draw nearer to Him. What we do and how we behave does make a difference. Look in the mirror each morning and choose how you will act that day.

Wondrous Lord, help us to choose each day to act in a Christian way. Remember, we may be the best Christian example someone knows.

Take Christ Home

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Without labor nothing prospers.

Sophocles

sharing Christ

God did not call us to just sit in church each week. Church is important. It is where we find the community that upholds us on our path but it is not the end. It is the beginning. Once we have been to church we are called to carry Christ right out the door and into our everyday lives. How else with others know what a true Christian is? Take Christ home and share him with others.

Understanding God, help us to understand our mission in the world. Remind us to carry Christ with us wherever we go. AMEN

Listen and Face the Unknown

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Whoever you are: some evening take a step out of your house, which you know so well. Enormous space is near.

Rainer Maria Rilke

face the unknownStaying in our comfort zone is so easy. God, however, frequently calls us to step out into the enormous space. God is not an easy taskmaster. If we really listen and hear what we are being called to do it can be pretty scary. Don’t be afraid. No matter what God will be there with us. Take that step into the unknown.

Amazing God, how often we do not listen to you. Please help us, not only to hear your voice above the noise in our life but also to do as you ask.

 

Love is a Decision

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Love is not only something you feel, it is something you do.

David Wilkerson

love is a decision

I have often talked about faith being a a verb and not a noun. Love is the same way. Love is an actin word. It is not static. One of the things I learned in Marriage Encounter is that love is a decision. We decide each moment if we will love or not. We tend to depend on feelings instead of decisions. God calls each of us to love one another. It is a choice. It is a decision. Decide to love!

God of Love, remind us each day that love is not a feeling but a decision. Help us to choose to love as you have called us to do.