Love the Lord, Your God…
Ron and I recently took a long weekend getaway to visit family and friends. During our visit, we enjoyed some rich conversations. One discussion was about what it looks like in practical terms to “love our neighbors as ourselves.”
I kept rehashing that conversation, and the day after our return, I wrote the following prayer. I hope it will be meaningful to you.
Dearest Jesus,
You taught:
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ (Matthew 22:37-39 NIV).”
I am realizing the more you are on the periphery of my emotions, thoughts, and even my body, the less I am able to love and live like you taught. I can see also, the more I focus on your life as seen in the Gospels, the more I want to reflect your character and your ways. This focus helps me love God, myself, and others better.
Spirit of Jesus, show me in routine, every day, moment-by-moment living how I can more fully focus on you. Open my mind to pay attention to what you want me to learn. Open my spiritual eyes to see people and circumstances through your eyes and my spiritual ears to recognize your voice quickly and clearly.
I want to act in accordance with my God-design and to love myself with enough wisdom and courage to examine the “plank” in my own eye before judging and criticizing the “speck” in another’s eye.[i] With humility, help me to love and to consider other’s desires and opinions even above my own.[ii]
I can only do this if you show me how! So, I pray,
“HELP me, Jesus!”
Amen
Blessings on journeys of learning to live and love more like Jesus,
