Start with the Person in your Mirror and Pray

 Oh if we could somehow eradicate the hate from our world, from our streets, from our hearts. The petty bickering among leaders, the violence in our streets, the warring among nations are all hate filled expressions of how we are not accepting of one another. It is time to put down our ugly loathing and get on our knees to pray for open hearts that live and let live. Hearts that accept that none of us are all knowing or have all the answers. So why do so many position ourselves to throw stones at others who disagree with our positions? It is arrogant to think that anyone of us is all knowing. 

So let’s take today away from the news coverage that too many of us let slow drip into our minds throughout the day. Instead, let’s get on our knees and pray for the wisdom of leaders, the calm of rioters, and the hearts of those who grieve the loss of loved ones. There is power in prayer. We can actually be proactive in prayer rather than being fed sensationalized news feeds from biased profit concerned media on either side. And we should not pray for one side or the other but rather pray for all nations, all people and a peaceful resolution to all conflicts. 

My heart breaks for those who are persecuted and for those so filled with hate that they feel persecuting others is justified. My heart breaks for all those who lost loved ones in India when their plane crashed on takeoff and to all on the ground who also lost their lives. My heart breaks for our world so filled with unnecessary death and destruction. Life is difficult enough without being filled with so much condemning of others. Love is the answer to hate. It is the yen and the yang. How do we stay unoffended so that we don’t literally or figuratively throw those stones at those who offend us? Prayer for a heart that sees all sides. 

1 Corinthians 16:14 Let love and kindness be the motivation in all you do. If only we could play this verse on repeat and let it sink into our hearts. Perhaps then we would turn away from what divides us and focus on what unites us. Pray for your heart and mine. It is true what Michael Jackson wrote about starting with the man in the mirror and getting him to change his ways. Maybe you and I cannot solve the global chaos or the rioting in America’s streets or the anti-semitism that fuels ugliness but we can be a bit kinder to others who cross our paths and we can pray. 

In Him,

Joyful

6-13-25