In my desire for justice & equality, may I not
de-humanize those who disagree with my convictions.
May love and graciousness be my 1st & only
response to a perceived enemy.
May I be slow to speak in anger and quick to act in
reconciliation.
May only words of truth & empathy pass my lips or be
written by my hands, that I may not slander even my enemy.
When others yell eye-for-an-eye, may I quietly listen for
the small voice of compassion.
May I not try to be clever in my self-righteousness (or
falsely humble).
In my desire for truth, may I not settle for the easy
explanation that suits what I already want to believe.
May I be quick to give the benefit of the doubt, and when
all doubt is gone, may I be quick to forgive, even when it’s not asked.
May I uphold another’s dignity even at the cost of my
entitlements.
May my only defenses be a sifting of truth from lies and my own life lived as consistently as possible.
Perfectly lovely and just and BEAUTIFUL! So timely, and well well put in to such a picture of God.
ReplyDeleteI know that my view on the killer from last week is not a popular one, for me it's simple. "Who does God love more? The murderer, or the murdered?"
Both the same.
This is wonderful, Sarah. My goals and convictions are the same -- to live authentically and compassionately and to always seek out (and accept) the truth of any situation, individual and/or state with which I'm confronted. It can be difficult sometimes (to forgive, especially), but it's always worth it, for my own well-being as much as, if not more than, others'. This post is a great reminder of that.
ReplyDelete