Sunday, March 13, 2011

Dear God,

Two of my granddaughters had trouble figuring out which video to watch. They were getting miffed with each other when one said the name of one video and the other said she hated it. I made suggestions until finally they were reluctantly of one mind.

The art of negotiation and compromise must surely be a process of love, respect and hope. As I watched the process unfold, I could see your spirit at work. These girls are favorite cousins. They call themselves best friends. Although they want what they want for themselves, they also want the best for each other. I witnessed their assertions, surrender and change of mind. We laughed together during the movie.

O Lord, if the world's problems could be worked out as easily. If only we treated one another with the same kind of valuing, I believe we could reach a resolution so much quicker and with less animosity. Learning to honor one another especially in very difficult situations, I believe, is the key to remedy many social ills. I have come to the conclusion that many minds working together can usually come up with a far better solution than one mind, one person trying to make something work.

Perhaps you made us all so uniquely different because you wanted to shape us into a lovelier community of faith. Maybe you wanted us to understand how in a complex world with so many issues that we need one another. No one can solve all the problems; no one has all the answers. But several of us working together can bond to help, to problem solve, to heal, to restore and reconcile.

O God,
teach us
your ways;
remind us
that we
are not
gods and goddesses.
We were
never designed
to lord over
one another
but rather
to do something
much more
beautiful for you
and the world
around us.
Teach us
how to
truly love
one another,
I pray.

Love, Andrea