It takes self-reflection and prayer

[Mark Dohle]

It takes self-reflection and prayer​

It is easy for me to spout off pious sayings, or quotes from the bible without taking in what it is really implying. For instance the ‘Golden Rule”. Sounds nice, and may even come across as something easy to do, once one’s mind is made up. So do I “love my neighbor as myself”? I can honestly say I do not know, but I strive for that reality. Yet, if I do not know actually how I want to be treated, or do not ponder it, how can I really treat others as myself? It takes self-reflection, and prayer to go deeper into what the Golden Rule is asking of me. I would say, I often fail in this regard, since it is very easy to simply react, which comes from a place of my desire to manipulate others so that I can be happy and at peace. Of course, the old saying is true, ‘cats and people can’t be herded’. So it can become a vicious cycle with no end.

Prayer for patience​

Lord,
help me not to lose patience with myself,
for I am slow in learning to love,
for fear and anxiety still have a hold on me,
not to mention anger, and yes even rage,
for my inner life is often irrational,
like the raging storm on the sea,
so again help me to get out of the boat,
to walk on the waters into your loving embrace,
never taking my eyes off of you.-Br.MD​

 

[SkyWriting]

View attachment 307551

It takes self-reflection and prayer​

It is easy for me to spout off pious sayings, or quotes from the bible without taking in what it is really implying. For instance the ‘Golden Rule”. Sounds nice, and may even come across as something easy to do, once one’s mind is made up. So do I “love my neighbor as myself”? I can honestly say I do not know, but I strive for that reality. Yet, if I do not know actually how I want to be treated, or do not ponder it, how can I really treat others as myself? It takes self-reflection, and prayer to go deeper into what the Golden Rule is asking of me. I would say, I often fail in this regard, since it is very easy to simply react, which comes from a place of my desire to manipulate others so that I can be happy and at peace. Of course, the old saying is true, ‘cats and people can’t be herded’. So it can become a vicious cycle with no end.

Prayer for patience​

Lord,
help me not to lose patience with myself,
for I am slow in learning to love,
for fear and anxiety still have a hold on me,
not to mention anger, and yes even rage,
for my inner life is often irrational,
like the raging storm on the sea,
so again help me to get out of the boat,
to walk on the waters into your loving embrace,
never taking my eyes off of you.-Br.MD​

If you slap somebody. slap them silly if that would be right for them to do to you.
If you manipulate somebody, manipulate them as if it was them manipulating you.
Do only what you know is right. Don't honor what you know is wrong.