Received: 2023-09-29 22:12:42

i recently learned that i have hurt a close friend who i love and care about deeply. please pray for her peace, comfort, and to ease her pain which i have caused. please pray that we can mend our friendship and that it continues to grow stronger. please pray that she can find it in her heart to forgive me, and that i can forgive myself. please pray for myself for guidance from God on how to be a better friend to her. Thank you so much

Last week in the service we spent some time remembering ourselves as children, trying to remind ourselves in of that pure, un-marred, inherent goodness within, that we are the deeply and dearly loved children of God, always. Which feels a little easier to tap into, when we literally picture ourselves as the children we once were. If you missed that, you can always go back on our website or the app to revisit past practices and keep implementing them in your ongoing everyday life. 

Bur for right now, in light of everything we’ve just heard in this morning’s message, I wonder if it’s time to specifically re-visit last week’s practice, but pointed in a different direction. 

I don’t know who comes to your mind, when Mike talks about how we break this commandment and harbour murder in our hearts. But likely somebody does. Perhaps a few somebodies.

What would happen – what could happen – if you did the same thing, making the (genuine) effort to remind yourself that they were once just a tiny, probably adorable, un-wounded and un-wounding babe-in-arms too. And that child is still in there, just trying to survive and find love. Same as you. What if you literally stopped to picture them as such. Pushed yourself believe it. And let that ignite a softer posture of love in your heart. 

What could that change – if we were really willing to follow Jesus, that closely in heart? 

So here’s what we’re going to do. Choose just one person, in your life, where this is a struggle for you. And I want you to just close your eyes, and then picture their face. Imagine how affectionately God sees them, how he holds them tenderly, as his beloved child. 

But sit with it, really sit with it for some time. And then, return to the words of Numbers 6 we used earlier this morning. And in your heart of hearts, speak the blessing: 

The Lord bless you, and keep you 

The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you 

The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. 

Speak it more than once, maybe speak it over and over – out loud, or just consciously in your thoughts. Imagine speaking it to them from an internal posture of unguarded love, as much as you are able. Trusting the Spirit of Christ within you, to make it more and more real with every breath.

Guided Prayer
Blessing Our Enemies

Ready for what's next?

Reflection
Examen | Church History

Examen is a practice of examining your life backwards, over a given period of time, and prayerfully reflecting on two things: 1) Where you noticed a sense of God’s presence, or closeness; and 2) Where you felt absent or disconnected from that sense. 

Activities
Joy & Laughter

Today, we want to practice something many people find hard to experience, and that’s JOY. Believe it or not, joy is something that can be practiced... 

Breath Prayer
Prince of Peace | Breath Prayer

Isaiah tells us that despite the fact that government of all humanity's upon Jesus' shoulders, his core identity was as the Prince of Peace......